Expert H-1B visa attorneys serving NYC professionals and employers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Long Island. Cap registration, transfers, extensions, RFE responses, and green card pathways for Wall Street, tech, healthcare, and consulting industries.
Comprehensive H-1B representation for New York City employers and professionals
Navigate the annual H-1B cap registration process for NYC employers. We manage March registration, lottery selection, and filing windows. Strategies for cap-exempt employers including NYC universities, hospitals, and research institutions.
Complete LCA filing with Department of Labor for NYC positions. Prevailing wage determination for Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens markets. Workplace posting requirements and public access file compliance for NYC employers.
Seamless H-1B transfers for NYC professionals changing employers. AC21 portability guidance allowing immediate work authorization. Common for Wall Street, tech, and healthcare professionals moving between NYC employers.
H-1B extensions beyond 6 years for green card applicants. Material change amendments for NYC worksites, salary changes, job duty modifications. Critical for NYC professionals in EB-2/EB-3 green card backlogs.
Wall Street investment banks, hedge funds, financial services firms in Manhattan Financial District, Midtown. Quant analysts, risk managers, financial engineers, traders, compliance specialists.
Tech companies in Manhattan (Silicon Alley), Brooklyn Tech Triangle, Long Island City. Software engineers, data scientists, product managers, UX designers, DevOps engineers.
NYC hospitals, medical centers, biotech firms. Physicians, researchers, medical scientists, clinical specialists. Major employers: NYU Langone, Mount Sinai, Columbia Medical Center.
Management consulting, accounting, legal services firms in Manhattan. Business analysts, strategy consultants, IT consultants, tax specialists, audit professionals.
The H-1B cap limits new H-1B visas to 65,000 annually (plus 20,000 for U.S. master's degree holders). NYC employers must submit electronic registrations in March during the designated period. USCIS conducts a random lottery to select registrations. If selected, employers have a filing window (typically April-June) to submit the full H-1B petition for an October 1 start date. Cap-exempt NYC employers include Columbia University, NYU, Cornell Tech, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and other qualified nonprofit research institutions and universities—they can file H-1B petitions year-round without lottery participation.
H-1B visa attorney fees in NYC typically range from $2,500-$4,500 depending on case complexity. This includes: cap registration filing, LCA preparation and filing with DOL, Form I-129 petition preparation, prevailing wage determination, supporting documentation, and correspondence with USCIS. Premium processing (15-day decision) costs an additional $2,805 USCIS fee. H-1B transfer cases cost $2,000-$3,500. RFE responses typically cost $1,500-$3,000 additional. We offer transparent pricing and book consultations for NYC employers and professionals.
Yes. Under the H-1B portability rule (AC21), you can begin working for a new NYC employer as soon as they file an H-1B transfer petition on your behalf—you don't need to wait for approval. This is critical for NYC professionals receiving job offers from Wall Street firms, tech companies, or other employers. Requirements: you must have been in valid H-1B status when the transfer was filed, and you cannot have engaged in unauthorized employment. The new employer files a complete H-1B petition with new LCA showing the NYC position details. Premium processing ensures 15-day decision if needed for peace of mind.
H-1B visas are for specialty occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree in a specific field. Common NYC H-1B positions include: software engineers, data scientists, financial analysts, quant analysts, management consultants, physicians, biomedical researchers, architects, engineers (civil, mechanical, electrical), accountants, economists, market research analysts, UX designers, and business analysts. The position must require specialized knowledge and you must hold a relevant bachelor's degree or higher. NYC's finance, tech, healthcare, and consulting sectors are major H-1B sponsors.
Standard H-1B processing takes 2-4 months. Premium processing (Form I-907 with $2,805 fee) guarantees a 15-day decision (approval, denial, RFE, or NOID). For cap-subject petitions: March registration period, lottery results in March/April, filing window April-June, October 1 start date. Cap-exempt NYC employers (universities, nonprofits) can file anytime with 2-4 month standard processing or 15-day premium processing. LCA processing with DOL takes 7-10 days. Total timeline from LCA to approval: 2.5-5 months standard, or 1 month with premium processing.
Prevailing wage is determined by the Department of Labor based on the occupation (SOC code), skill level (Level 1-4), and NYC metropolitan area. NYC prevailing wages are typically higher than national averages. Examples (2025): Software Developer Level 2 in Manhattan: $115,000-$135,000; Financial Analyst Level 2: $95,000-$120,000; Data Scientist Level 3: $140,000-$170,000. Employers must pay the higher of prevailing wage or actual wage paid to similarly employed workers. We obtain prevailing wage determinations for all NYC H-1B cases as part of the LCA process.
A Request for Evidence (RFE) means USCIS needs additional documentation. Common NYC H-1B RFE topics: (1) whether the position qualifies as a specialty occupation, (2) whether your degree is directly related to the position, (3) employer-employee relationship (especially for staffing/consulting firms), (4) whether the offered wage meets prevailing wage requirements. Receiving an RFE doesn't mean denial—it means USCIS needs clarification. Response deadline is typically 30-90 days. Our NYC H-1B attorneys prepare comprehensive RFE responses with additional evidence, expert opinion letters, and detailed legal arguments addressing each USCIS concern.
Yes, if you're in the green card process. AC21 provisions allow H-1B extensions beyond 6 years: (1) If your PERM labor certification or I-140 immigrant petition has been pending for 365+ days, you can get 1-year H-1B extensions. (2) If you have an approved I-140 but cannot get a green card due to visa backlogs (common for Indian and Chinese nationals), you can get 3-year H-1B extensions. This is critical for NYC professionals in EB-2/EB-3 backlogs. Many Wall Street and tech professionals maintain H-1B status for 10+ years while waiting for green cards. Our attorneys handle H-1B extensions for NYC clients in all stages of the green card process.
Whether you're an NYC employer sponsoring specialty occupation workers or a professional seeking H-1B status, our experienced immigration attorneys are here to guide you through every step.