The H1B visa is a type of Visa that allows highly educated professionals from other countries to live and work in the United States of America strictly in their area of specialization for a specified period, usually between 3 and 6 years.
Employers seeking to hire skilled foreign professionals every year send H1B petitions to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The processing time for H1B visa petitions can vary depending on several factors. Here is an overview of what to expect for H1B visa processing times in fiscal year 2024.
Filing Period and Lottery
For fiscal year 2024, which starts on October 1st, 2023, the H1B visa filing period will take place from April 1st, 2023 to April 7th, 2023. USCIS is expected to receive over 200,000 H1B cap-subject petitions during this filing period. Since the annual H1B visa limit is 85,000, not all petitions can be approved. USCIS will run a computer-generated random selection process or “lottery” to select enough petitions to meet the annual cap. Petitions not selected will be rejected. USCIS typically completes the H1B lottery process by early May.
Regular Processing
For H1B petitions that are selected in the lottery get completed in 3-6 months. However, actual processing times may be longer depending on workload volumes. In recent fiscal years, regular H1B processing took 6-8 months on average once petitions pass the lottery stage. For FY2024, regular H1B is projected to be decided upon within 6-9 months once petitions are submitted. Delays may happen if petition volumes are higher than anticipated.
Premium Processing
For an extra fee of $2,500, applicants get the opportunity to have their H1B petition decided on within 15 calendar days rather than the usual 3-6 months the premium processing provides this option. This quick processing is guaranteed as long as the petition is complete and biometrics are not required. Premium processing remains suspended until further notice for H1B cap-subject petitions filed during the initial filing period in April. It is expected to resume in October 2023 for H1B petitions filed outside the cap.
Processing by Service Center
H1B processing times also differ depending on which USCIS service center handles the petition. The Vermont Service Center currently has the shortest average processing times, taking around 4-6 months on average for regular processing. The California Service Center and Texas Service Center average around 6-9 months. Processing times may equalize more across service centers in FY2024 depending on workload distribution plans.
Below are H-1B wait times in various service centers as of February 2024:
California Service Center – 80% of cases are completed within 1.5 months
Texas Service Center – 80% of cases are completed within 3 months.
Vermont Service Center – 80% of cases are completed within 2 months
Requested Start Date
The prospective start date requested on the H1B petition can impact processing times as well. USCIS aims to have petitions adjudicated in time for the requested start date, wherever possible. Petitions with start dates several months in the future generally have shorter waiting periods than those requesting an immediate start. Processing is also expedited closer to October each year to meet H1B start dates.
In summary, for the 2024 fiscal year, regular H1B visa petition processing times are expected to range from 6-9 months after USCIS completes the H1B lottery in early May 2023. Some premium processing may resume in October 2023, offering 15-day adjudication. Processing times may vary slightly based on individual petition factors and USCIS workload volumes. Planning and selecting an appropriate start date can help optimize H1B processing timelines.
