The filing season for the Fiscal Year 2011 H-1B quota is at hand. Despite the sluggish economy, analysts are predicting positive growth in employment during the course of the year. Thousands of new H-1B cases will be filed on April 1, 2010. Employers need to project their labor needs for the coming year and position themselves to take advantage of the new H-1B quota.

Each quota season brings new changes to the process and employers should make an effort to project their H-1B needs for the coming year as soon as they are able. There are two major differences to the H-1B process for this year that should be noted. The first change is the processing time for the Labor Condition Application (LCA). The second change is in the form of a USCIS guidance memorandum on “Establishing the ‘Employer-Employee Relationship’ in H-1B Petitions.”