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H1B visa 2015

H1B is a distinguished visa status offered to people of other countries to work in the United States of America. This visa allows an employer in the US to temporarily hire a foreign national with specialized knowledge. Applicants of the H1B visa need to hold at least a Bachelor's degree to be eligible for this work permit. In case an H1B visa holder loses sponsorship after immigrating to the US, or loses the job, then he/she must find a new job, change the immigration status or leave America.

H1B visa caps for 2015

The United States has presently set a limit of issuing 65,000 H1B visas in the fiscal year of 2015 to foreign nationals. However, 20,000 applicants are exempted from this cap if: Visa processing officials determine the eligibility of an H-1B visa applicant using data provided in Part C of the application form. It must be noted that only the first 20,000 applications to be cleared under the cap-exempted category enjoy its benefits. Despite the fact that you hold a master's degree from the US, if your application does not figure in the top 20,000, then you will be considered for a visa in the 65,000 slab limit.

Can this number increase?

Yes, it can. There are times when more than 65,000 applications are cleared for H1B visa processing. This happens if there are roll over application forms. For instance, if a country is provided with 5,000 H1B visas, but only 3,500 people are granted the work permit in a fiscal year, then the remaining 1,500 visa applications are rolled over to countries that have more visa requests in the following fiscal.

When to file for a H-1B visa for the 2015 fiscal cap?

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting H-1B visa applications from April 1, 2014, for the 2015 fiscal cap. However, applicants can send in their forms only six months before the start date of employment. Forms sent prior to this six-month period are rejected.

Points to remember when filling the form

Fee structure

The base filing fee is $325. Beyond this, there are various fee structures for various H1B visa applications.


Work Visa