H1B Visa Lawyer Blog
On Friday, February 18th, the USCIS released a news alert urging eligible applicants to switch, if possible, to the employment-based categories! The overall employment-based annual limit for fiscal year 2022 is twice as high as usual numbers, because that limit includes all unused family-sponsored visa numbers from fiscal year 2021. There were approximately 140,000 unused family-sponsored visa numbers added to the new total.
The News Alert states, “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services encourages eligible applicants to consider requesting to transfer the underlying basis of their adjustment of status application to the first (priority workers) or second (noncitizens in professions with advanced degrees or with exceptional ability) employment-based preference categories, because there is an exceptionally high number of employment-based immigrant visas available in these categories during this fiscal year (October 2021 through September 2022).”
Review the USCIS News Alert for more information: USCIS Urges Eligible Applicants to Switch Employment-Based Categories!
Source of Information:
USCIS (USCIS.gov), 2/18/22, News Alert:
USCIS Urges Eligible Applicants to Switch Employment-Based Categories