When to Apply for H1B Visa 2015 – Step by Step Plan

We had H1B Visa Lottery last year for the H1B Visa 2014 quota, it seems like we may end up in a similar path this year for H1B Visa 2015.  It is better to plan from now and get your things right, so that you can apply for H1B visa petition for this fiscal year of 2015.  This article will focus on how to plan for H1B visa filing for this fiscal year.

When to apply for H1B Visa for FY 2015 ? USCIS accepting date ?

H1B Visa season starts on April 1^st of every year. Usually USCIS starts accepting H1B visa petitions for next fiscal year starting from April 1^st of the current year.  What it means is that USCIS will start to accept H1B Visa petitions for FY 2015 starting from April 1^st, 2014.  Based on previous experience, the H1B Visa 2015 filing date would be April 1^st, unless USCIS makes any dramatic changes to the start date.  We are about two and half months or about 75 days away from the filing date.

Applying H1B Visa 2015 – Sample Plan

Below is the sample plan with information on what you need to do at every step. It should give you enough information and time to plan for this year’s H1B visa petition filing. Depending on the activity, you would have to carry out few activities in parallel. It is assumed that your profile is

Month	Dates	H1B Visa Application Activity
January	15th  – 31st	Research on H1B Visa sponsoring companies. You need to create a list of all the companies that are likely to sponsor H1B Visa for your profile.  Read article :  How to find H1B Visa Sponsors. You use our H1B Visa Sponsors Database to look for companies that sponsor H1B visas in a particular City or Zipcode. You will apply for jobs during this period with these companies and do job interviews with the companies. Think of this period as intensive job search. If you are in US and doing internship at a company, you would need to check with them, if they would sponsor H1B Visa for you. If Not, you need to do the above.
February	1st   – 15th
February	15th  – 31st	You need to make sure, you have an offer on the table from a H1B Sponsoring company. If you get multiple job offers, it is even better. You have the choice to negotiate, before you finalize the company. Verify the H1B Visa Sponsoring companies – Due diligence on the above list of sponsors you have created and the companies that you interviewing with.  You will need to dig into details like the types of jobs and LCAs these companies have filed, including approvals, denials, etc.  You can use our H1B Visa Sponsors Database for the same. Check main menu above.
February	15th  – 31st	Secure all the required documents for filing the H1B visa application. Typical set of documents you would need are transcripts, degree certificates, experience letters, etc. Read article H1B Visa Petition Filing Check list.
February	15th  – 31st	Negotiations with H1B sponsoring companies.  Usually, you will talk to companies as part of the HR round or consulting companies and finalize the offer.  Read the below articles What to Ask H1B employer  before offer letter How to Negotiate  Salary & benefits in consulting
February	21st – 28th	You need to finalize the H1B Sponsoring company by this week. If you have multiple offers looking attractive, you need to put them in an excel and rank them based on various aspects like salary, benefits, good will, brand, etc.  If you are joining a consulting company, ensure that you know someone in that company, talk to someone working there so that you know the ground reality.
March	1st – 7th	You need to work with your employer and their attorney for filing H1B petition. You will need to send the documents, usually only scan copies of the documents are requested by attorney. Do NOT provide any originals. Read article on What NOT to give to H1B Employer to file petition. Send out all the scan copies via email. If anything required as hard copy, just courier the same.  It is critical that you work with your attorney and have it ready so that they file for your LCA during this week itself. Your LCA has to be filed this week as it can take a week to be processed.  As soon as you have a decision made, just work with attorney and ensure they file the LCA for you.
March	8th – 24th	You need to check with your attorney and employer, if they have all the documents and everything is on track. This is the most busiest time for employers and attorneys. If everything went well and your attorney has all the paperwork, there is no activity for you.  Just keep tabs on everything so that you don't hear last minute surprises.
March	24th – 31st	You have no activity.  Your attorney/ H1B sponsor would work with companies like UPS, FedEx, USPS to deliver your H1B visa application petition exactly on April 1st, 2014,  which is a Tuesday.