H-1B Under Pressure: New Costs, New Rules, New Risks (On-Demand)

Course Description

A practical update on the changing H-1B landscape, this session explores new fee burdens, the wage-weighted selection process, heightened petition scrutiny, and rising compliance and enforcement risks for employers. It also offers strategies for navigating filings from before you even get started through to post-completion, preparing for and handling site visits, LCA and wage issues, and broader program management challenges in today’s environment of ever-increasing enforcement.

Principles

• The 2026 H-1B Landscape: Regulatory Changes, New Fees, and Selection Rules
  • Overview of recent H-1B regulatory developments, new fee requirements, and the wage-weighted selection process.
• Preparing Strong H-1B Petitions Under Heightened Scrutiny
  • Strategies for preparing defensible petitions, anticipating USCIS challenges, and addressing documentation and eligibility concerns.
• Employer Compliance: LCA Requirements, Wage Obligations, and Recordkeeping
  • Key employer responsibilities, including Labor Condition Application compliance, wage requirements, and maintaining required documentation.
• H-1B Site Visits, Government Investigations, and Enforcement Risks
  • Preparing for and responding to site visits, government inquiries, investigations, and potential compliance violations.
• End-to-End H-1B Program Management and Risk Mitigation
  • Best practices for managing H-1B cases from initial planning and filing through post-filing compliance, ongoing monitoring, and enforcement readiness.

Syllabus

1. Overview of the 2026 H-1B Landscape and Recent Regulatory Changes
2. New H-1B Fee Requirements and the Wage-Weighted Selection Process
3. Heightened Petition Scrutiny and Strategies for Preparing Strong H-1B Filings
4. Employer Compliance Obligations, Including Labor Condition Application (LCA) and Wage Requirements
5. Preparing for and Responding to H-1B Site Visits and Government Investigations
6. H-1B Compliance Risks, Enforcement Trends, and Best Practices for Program Management
7. End-to-End H-1B Petition Strategies, From Initial Preparation Through Post-Filing Compliance