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TSC Rejects H-1s in Error
Posted
Apr 23, 2004
The Texas Service Center (TSC) erroneously rejected a substantial number of
cap-subject H1B cases that were filed after April 1, 2004. As regular
readers of MurthyDotCom and the MurthyBulletin know, H1B cases
can be filed six months in advance of the employment start date. Thus, many
employers have been filing H1B cases for their cap-subject employees and
potential employees as much as six months in advance of the 2005 fiscal year
(FY) start date of October 1, 2004. This is in the effort to ensure these
cases are filed and approved for one of the 65,000 H1B cap numbers available
for FY2005. Unfortunately, the TSC incorrectly rejected some of these cases
filed on or after April 1, 2004. The TSC has acknowledged its error and
taken steps to rectify the situation for future cases. Because rejected
cases are returned to the petitioner without the TSC's retaining any
documentation, however, the TSC cannot independently correct the mistake
that it made in rejecting those particular cases.
The TSC issued instructions that those with rejected cases should file again
without delay. This is the best course of action. Although the rejections
were in error, if they are not re-filed in time to obtain a FY2005 cap
number, it does not appear that these cases will be given any special
consideration. Because the mistake occurred early in the filing period for
FY2005 cases, there should be ample time to file these cases again. The TSC
will accept all such re-filed cases, as well as new cases being filed under
the same strategy. The mailroom personnel, who were apparently responsible
for the incorrect rejections, have been instructed not to reject new H1B
filings with a start date that is on or after October 1, 2004 as long as the
start date requested on the H1B petition is not more than six months in the
future. Hopefully, this will resolve the problem for future filings. Those
with rejected H1B filings should resubmit them without delay.
©
The Law
Office of Sheela Murthy, P.C.

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