What Employers Need to Know About the New H-1B Cap Lottery Process

H-1B visas are temporary work visas for specialized professionals.  Nearly all employers are subject to what is known as the “H-1B Cap,” an annual limit (or cap) on the number of H-1B visas granted every fiscal year.  Under current law, USCIS can approve 65,000 “regular cap” visas per year, and an additional 20,000 for foreign nationals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher, all with an October 1 effective date. (October 1 is the start of the U.S. government’s fiscal year when the cap is replenished annually).