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Toughest H-1B visa application process begins today: FAQs related to new rules, spouse visa answered

What is premium processing suspension and other questiones related to h-1B visa answered

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The toughest ever H-1B visa application process begins today. Amidst the unprecedented scrutiny  by the Donald Trump administration, the process of filing petitions for H-1B visa has begun.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is the federal agency responsible to process the visas, has indicated that there will be zero tolerance for even minor errors.

H-1b is the most popular and has been considered the most sought-after work visa among highly-skilled Indian professionals. 

Below we have listed the details of the H-1B visa process, last date to apply and the reason why it's being considered the toughest process ever. 

What is H-1B visa? 
H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

When to apply for it ?
The USCIS had begun accepting applications for the fiscal year 2019 (October 2018 to September 2019) starting today. 

What are the details regarding suspended premium processing?
USCIS has suspended the premium process and the temperary sispension is expected to last until September 10. 

"This temporary suspension will help us reduce overall H-1B processing times. By temporarily suspending premium processing, we will be able to.process long-pending petitions, which we have currently been unable to process due to the high volume of incoming petitions and the significant surge in premium processing requests over the past few years," the USCIS added.

Why this year's H-1B visa process has been termed the toughest?
The Donald Trump administration recently announced a new measure, making the approval of H-1B visa more tougher.

According to the new policy, any company would have to make one more clarification to prove that its H-1B employee at a third-party worksite has specific and non-qualifying speculative assignments in a speciality occupation.

The updated policy is a part of Trump's "Buy American and Hire American" Executive Order, which directs to protect the interests of US workers.

According to the US administration officials, the scrutiny is needed to ensure the integrity of the controversial visa programme, which according to critics has cost American jobs.

What is the maximum limit cap of H-1B visa applicants? 
The H-1B visa has an annual numerical limit cap of 65,000 visas each fiscal year. The first 20,000 petitions filed on behalf of beneficiaries with a US master's degree or higher are exempted from the cap.

What is the current status of H-1B visas for spouses? 
At present, spouses of H-1B visaholders get the H4 visa, which doesn't allow them to work or run a business until they obtain an employment authorisation document (EAD). 

However, it is also to be noted that not all dependent spouses of the H-1B holders are eligible to apply for an EAD. The option is available for those who eventually would attain a Green Card, due to which many foreign professionals are exploring the option of becoming a permanent resident of the US.

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