H-1B Visa Cap

We are taking this opportunity to inform our clients and potential clients who wish to employ foreign nationals in the future about recent changes in Immigration policy.

In the past years the H-1B Quota, which only allows 65,000 H-1B visas per year (+ 20,000 more for those with Master's Degrees from U.S. Universities), has been met BEFORE JUNE! Last year the 65,000 visas were met on the first day. USCIS received over 300,000 on the first day. Please note that these applications filed in April have an October 1, 2008 start date.

Therefore, if you or your company wishes to hire any H-1B workers, it is imperative to file these applications ASAP so your company is not locked out by the H-1B cap. If the cap is reached, the foreign national would have to wait until October 1, 2009 before he or she could work for your company.

As you may recall, the H-1B process involves 3 steps:

• Obtain the prevailing wage.
• The employer submits a Labor Condition Application (LCA) to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for certification.
• The employer files a petition with the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) to obtain H-1B classification for the foreign national.

If you have any questions regarding the H-1B cap, sponsoring a foreign national for permanent residence (green card), or would just like a refresher on Immigration law, compliance, and policy, please do not hesitate to contact our firm.

Important Notice

Our Firm will be merging into the Law Firm of Cohen, Todd, Kite & Stanford, LLC (CTKS). The Fleischer Immigration Law Group at Cohen, Todd, Kite & Stanford will continue to handle all aspects of Immigration Law. CTKS is a general practice law firm which can handle:

• divorce
• family & juvenile law
• child custody cases
• wills, trusts, and estate planning
• business & contract law
• incorporating businesses, partnerships, & LLC's
• real estate transactions
• criminal law, DUI, and traffic
• personal injury
• medical malpractice
• employment law, including unlawful termination
• bankruptcy
• civil litigation
• patent disputes
• business and personal taxes

Our new office is located on the 12th floor of Chiquita Center located in downtown Cincinnati.

Richard / Neil Fleischer
Cohen, Todd, Kite & Stanford, LLC
250 East Fifth St., Suite 1200
Cincinnati, OH 45202-4139

Our phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same. We will continue to provide the efficient, personal service you have come to expect.

We can also be reached:

Richard Fleischer
rfleischer@ctks.com
(513) 333-5242

Neil Fleischer
nfleischer@ctks.com
(513) 333-5218

Thank you for your patronage.