Q&A

Is it mandatory to start H1B visa on October 1st?

Is it mandatory to start H1B visa on October 1st?

There is grace period for some statuses but not H1B. You need to start your employment within reasonable time – 60 days usually of the employment start date of October 1 or you will find yourself out of luck on the visa. That is if you are out of country. If you are in the…

When does a change of status from L1b to H1B take effect?

Since the L1B visa is not transferrable to an unrelated entity, Company X decided to sponsor Mr. Worker for an H1B visa. Company X filed an H-1B petition on behalf of Mr. Worker on April 1st and requested a change of status (COS) from L1B to H1B to take effect on October 1st.

When does a H1B case number need to be filed?

Day indicates the number of the computer work day starting from October 1st. October 1st is when the fiscal year starts for H1Bs USCIS. If it was filed on October 1st, it would be 001.

When to apply for H1B after lottery selection?

There are two possibilities if your H1B has been approved after lottery selection: This means that you are already in the US on some other visa like F1 or H4 or any other and you filed to change your visa type with H1B approval. Your US status will automatically change on Oct 1 as this is usually the first date that you can start working on H1B.

When does a H-1B get approved?

H1B regular application processing time is 3 months to 1 year for approvals. H1B premium processing is getting approval within 1 to 15 days of filing.

When does H1B visa season start?

Only a limited number of visas offered by U.S officials, so there is a specific window of 18 months from 1st April to the 1st of October of the next year. For example, if we talk about 2019, you can try and apply for H1B visa from 1st April 2019 to 1st October 2020.

When can H4 to H1-B start work?

In simple H4 to H1B case as well, where you filed H1B with change of status in lottery. You can start working on Oct 1 or the start date of your H1B as approved by USCIS. The change of status happens automatically on the H1B approval date and you should START working i.e. your payroll should be run to keep you in H1B status.

When should I apply for H1B visa?

How to Get H1B Visa. Because of the limited number of visas issued, there is a specific window for applications, which usually starts on April 1st for the fiscal year starting October 1st of the following year. So you can apply from April 1st, 2019 for entry in the year starting October 1st, 2020.

What to do after your H-1B petition is approved?

If your H-1B petition has been approved for consular notification, then you will not receive an I-94 card at the bottom of your H-1B I-797 approval notice. You will need to apply for a visa stamp at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy abroad before your H-1B status can be ‘activated”.

When to apply for a H-1B visa after October 1?

If the petition was filed as a change of status, then your status will change to H-1B on October 1 and any status you held previously is no longer valid. If the petition was filed as an out-of-country then you can coordinate with your employer a start date after October 1.

There are two possibilities if your H1B has been approved after lottery selection: This means that you are already in the US on some other visa like F1 or H4 or any other and you filed to change your visa type with H1B approval. Your US status will automatically change on Oct 1 as this is usually the first date that you can start working on H1B.

When does the new fiscal year start for H1B?

So, as the new Fiscal Year starts from October 1st of that year, you can only file on or after April 1st, which is when USCIS accepts petitions after H1B registration.

When do I receive my H1B petition receipt?

After they file the H1B petition with USCIS, they would receive the petition receipt number along with the receipt notice from their employer either email copy or scan copy of the physical receipt notice from USCIS.