今年的H-1B申请会有哪些新的“Challenge”？抽中几率要如何提升？

The H-1B visa allows foreign nationals to work in the United States if they have a bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, and have a job offer from a U.S. company to work in a specialty occupation that requires them to have at least a bachelor’s to perform the job duties.  Historically, the H-1B visa has played an important role in allowing American companies hire foreign professionals with advanced skills that are needed to grow and compete in a global economy and has been particularly important for the growth of tech, engineering, and other STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) industries in the United States.

H-1B签证允许持有美国本科学历或等同学历，并且拿到美国公司的录取信的外国人在美国合法工作，要求申请者从事特殊专业性技能职位，即至少得需要本科学历才能从事的职位工作。H-1B签证一直以来都扮演着让美国公司雇佣外籍技能性工作者的重要角色，这对于发展全球化经济，以及实现科技，工程和其他科技属性（科学，技术，工程和数学）领域发展具有重要意义。

Although the H-1B is one of the most common types of work visas, it has become increasing difficult to obtain because it is subject to a very restrictive annual cap, and because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has made it more difficult for get the applications approved after the cap selection process. The H-1B cap is limited to 65,000 visas, plus an additional 20,000 for applicants with U.S. masters degrees. Last year, the FY 2018 annual cap was reached within five days after the cap filing period opened. 199,000 petitions were filed, or more than twice the number of visas available, requiring that a random selection (the H-1B lottery) be performed to determine which petitions would be accepted and adjudicated. It then took many months for applicants to be notified that they were selected, because the premium processing service, which allows applicants to pay extra for expedited processing, had been suspended. Although premium processing was restored in the fall, many selected applicants have had to wait wait six or more to receive a final decision.

尽管H-1B属于普通类型工作签证的一种，但却变得越来越难拿到，因为受到每年严格配额的限制，并且即使拿到了配额，美国移民局越来越严苛的审理制度也使得签证获批越来越难。H-1B的普通配额为65,000个名额，加上给有美国硕士及以上学位额外留给的20,000个名额。去年，也就是2018财年的年度配额在开放收件的五个工作日内就达成。移民局共收到199,000份申请，这个数字超过了配额数字的两倍，因此一个随机选取的系统（H-1B抽签）会决定哪些申请能够被受理。接下来被选中的申请者还要花费成月的时间去等待审批结果。因为去年的加急服务（让申请者付额外费用以加快审理的服务）被暂停了。尽管在秋季加急服务恢复了，许多申请者任然需要等待六个月甚至更长的时间去拿到最终结果。

This year we anticipate that the FY 2019 cap will be exceeded again, and that USCIS will continue to make the adjudication process more difficult. In April 2017 President Trump signed the Buy American and Hire American Executive Order that requires the federal government come up with ways to ensure that U.S. workers are prioritized over foreign nationals. The order specifically targets the H-1B visa program, and directs USICS to ensure that H-1B visas are awarded to the most skilled and highest paid workers. Therefore, USCIS began issuing requests for additional evidence (“RFEs”) to H-1B visa applicants whose wages were on the lower end the Department of Labor (DOL) wage scale. They asked these applicants to provide additional documentation showing the job not only requires a bachelor’s degree, and but also that the job is truly “entry level”, and therefore does not require a higher wage. It has proven challenging to respond to this type of request, because it requires the applicant to argue two contradictory positions, that the job is complex enough to require a bachelor’s degree, but not so complex that it requires experience.

本年度，也就是2019财年，我们预测抽签人数可能又会超标了，因此移民局将很可能保持一贯的严格审理。在2017年4月，特朗普总统签署了“Buy American and Hire American”的行政令，要求联邦政府致力于确保美国员工的雇佣优先于外籍员工的雇佣。该行政令尤其指向了H-1B项目，并且指示移民局确保H-1B签证只授予最具技能和高薪职位的员工。因此，移民局开始对处于劳工局最低标准的部分H-1B申请者提出补件要求（RFEs）.移民局要求这些申请者提供额外的材料证明该职位不仅需要一个本科学位，并且该职位确属于“初级职位”，因此不需要更高的薪资。事实证明应对此类补件要求是十分具有挑战性的，既要证明该职位具有要求本科学历来完成的复杂性，又要说明该职位亦非十分复杂需要绝对的经验来完成。

We anticipate that the chances of obtaining an H-1B in the cap lottery will again be around 50%, depending on application volume. The improving economy and increased demand may drive an increase in volume, though there is some indication that the volume may decrease because employers have been discouraged from filing weak cases by the difficult adjudication process. Applicants with U.S. master’s degrees have a better chance to be selected in the lottery thanks to the additional visas dedicated to applicants with advanced degrees. Of course, if the applicant can find an employer that is a non-profit research organization, or otherwise qualifies as a cap-exempt employer, or if the applicant has obtained a cap-subject H-1B in the recent past, an application may be submitted at any time without having to apply for the cap when the application period opens on the first business day of April, or Monday, April 2nd, 2018.

我们预测今年H-1B的中签率仍会低于50%，基本与去年持平。随着经济的发展和需求的增多在申请数量上可能会有增长, 尽管有一些预测讲说数量可能会下降，因为一些雇主在移民局严苛审查的环境下，对于优势不是很强的案子失去了信心从而放弃给雇员申请。有美国硕士以上学位的申请者依然具有优势被抽中，这都要感谢抽签系统给高学历预留的额外配额。当然，如果申请者可以找到非盈利的研究机构作为雇主给自己抽签，或该雇主符合免抽签的条件，或者是该申请者之前获取过H-1B签证，那么该申请者可以不用经过抽签程序在任何时间直接递交申请。H-1B 通常开放递件的时间为四月的第一个工作日，即2018年的4月2日，周一。

Care must be taken when choosing an appropriate wage level and DOL job category, based on the position’s job duties and requirements, when preparing the H-1B visa application to avoid receiving this new type of challenging RFE. The DOL job category must clearly require a bachelor’s degree, which is indicated by the Job Zone, to qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation. The Job Zone is indicated in the job description on the DOL Foreign Labor Certification Data Center Online Wage Library at www.flcdatacenter.com. Job Zone 4 or higher clearly indicates that the job requires at least a bachelor’s level education. Then, when describing the job duties in the application, care must be taken to indicate the appropriate level of responsibility and seniority. Any senior responsibilities that appear to be beyond the duties described in the DOL job description may indicate that a higher wage level is required. Employers should be aware that all applications using Level One wages will be closely scrutinized and may generate requests for evidence requiring the employer to justify the low wage.

当选择合适的工资水平和劳工部的工作种类时，需要额外注意，要根据该职位的工作职责和要求，从而避免被要求补件。劳工局的工作种类必须清楚的要求需要本科学历，这会从该职位的等级区划中体现（Job Zone）来满足H-1B的特殊技能职位的要求。职位区划（Job Zone）会在劳工部外籍劳工证数据中心www.flcdatacenter.com里的工作内容描述里体现，第四区划或更高（Job Zone 4）表示该职位至少需要一个本科学历背景。接下来当在申请中描述工作职能时，需要额外注意体现该职位的负责等级和资格。任何超出劳工部网站规定的高等职能属性需要对应更高等级的工资水平。雇主同时需要注意，所有用Level 1等级工资申请的职位需要经过严格审查并且可能将会面临要求雇主提升工资的补件通知。

In the current legal environment it is more important than ever for employers and employees who would like to get H-1B visas to plan ahead. If employers are considering hiring a student on a temporary work permit (curricular practical training, CPT, or post-graduation Optional Practical Training, OPT) it is best to apply for the H-1B cap as early and often as possible, so that if the student is not selected this year they may still have time on their work permit to apply again the following years. Note the employee does not have to activate the H-1B immediately and should continue to use their CPT and OPT as long as possible. Other options exist for more experienced employees with exceptional talents, such as the O-1 extraordinary ability visa or even the EB-1A extraordinary ability green card. Multinational companies may send employees abroad to work at a foreign affiliate, and then transfer them back after they gain managerial or specialized skills abroad, using the L-1 visa. Entrepreneurs who can raise venture capital or who work for a company interested in opening a new business in the U.S. may qualify for investor visas options.

在目前的法律环境下，提前规划对于希望获得H-1B的雇主和雇员来说十分重要。如果雇主考虑雇用临时工作许可的雇员（课程实践培训，CPT或毕业后实用培训，OPT），最好尽可能早地申请H-1B，那么即使今年学生未被选中，他们可能仍有时间申请工作许可，以后再次申请。请注意，员工不必立即激活H-1B，并应尽可能长时间继续使用CPT和OPT。还有其他选择，比如O-1杰出才能签证，甚至是EB-1A杰出人才绿卡，都是可以给具有特殊才能的经验丰富的员工申请的选择。跨国公司可能会派遣海外雇员到外国公司工作，然后在获得海外管理或专业技能后，使用L-1签证将他们转回。可以筹集风险资本或为有意在美国开展新业务的公司工作的企业家可能有资格申请投资者签证。

As the U.S. economy continues to grow it will become more important than ever for lawyers to work closely with employers and their foreign national employees to ensure that the hiring needs of American companies are met so they can continue to grow and compete. Even as immigration applications become more challenging proper legal planning and strategy can help employers access the foreign skills and talent needed to create more jobs and economic growth for everyone and maintain our leading role in a global knowledge economy where highly-skilled workers are more desirable than ever.