The H-1b season is quickly getting closer.  We now only have 6 weeks left before April 1.  As you may recall, last year, all H-1b's were exhausted by May 26th. We are projecting that this year the cap will be reached in 2 weeks or less – perhaps as soon as ONE DAY!  With that in mind, it is important to begin the preparation of any H-1b filings NOW!  Our plan is to have all H-1b cap subject cases ready to be filed on March 30 for delivery at USCIS on April 2, 2007.  April 1 falls on a Sunday and the USCIS has confirmed that the 2007 H-1b season begins Monday April 2.  With that in mind, we recommend that you review your current situation particularly and ask the following:

1. Is the company going to make any off-shore hires between now and October 1, 2008 ? If so, the candidates need to be identified, job offers finalized and paperwork prepared ASAP.

2. Does the company have any L-1b employees that are close to exhausting their 5 yrs. of eligibility and/or need the added benefits that come with an H-1b?

3. Does the company have any TN employees that may want to process a green card and need the benefits of an H-1b to allow the green card process to be accomplished easier?

4. Does the company have any students/interns working for me in CPT or OPT (interns, co-ops, etc) that the company would like to continue to employ beyond the expiration of their CPT or OPT?

5. Does the company have any candidates that I intend to offer employment to that need a change of status eg. J, H-4, L-2, B, F-2, etc.?

If any of the above scenarios apply to you, please contact us so that we can get things moving quickly.  It is likely that all of these candidates ought to have H-1b’s filed on their behalf.  Our goal is to have all potential H-1b filings in our office by March 15 in order to beat the H-1b cap.