How To Speed Up the H-1B Application Process In Immigration Law

The Modern Law Firm series delves into how AI can streamline your law firm — whether it’s by saving you time and money, eliminating mistakes and redundancies or making your workflow more efficient. 

Lawyers working on H-1B cases know there are a lot of moving parts. An application requires constant back-and-forth communication between your team and a client. But with Noodle, you can change the way you approach this process. Read on to learn more.

H-1B Petitions and Deadlines

Many highly skilled workers apply for an H-1B visa every year. It’s a competitive process that uses a lottery system. Lottery registration is typically open for about 14 days a year. When the filing period opens, those who can apply typically have a 90-day window to submit their paperwork. As such, timing is incredibly important when it comes to H-1B applications—missing a deadline can mean your client doesn’t have the opportunity to apply. 

If you are handling H-1B visas manually, then you might not be preparing your applications as quickly and efficiently as possible. “Preparing H-1B petitions was significantly hindered by manual coordination and communication, resulting in delays due to dependence on paralegal availability,” Susheelan tells Noodle. “Employers used to notify us via email to initiate an H-1B case, but any requests received outside of business hours had to wait until the next working day. Paralegals needed to manually send out intake sheets for the Labor Condition Application (LCA) and later, follow up with invoices and reminders. These manual steps often introduced significant delays.” 

H-1B, the Noodle Way

“I recommend Noodle to anyone managing H-1B Petitions or similar processes,” Susheelan says. “It dramatically streamlines workflows, reduces reliance on staff availability, and markedly enhances overall efficiency.”

Understanding that filing your H-1B applications is paramount, Noodle offers automatic solutions to make the process quicker. Noodle can deliver, follow up and complete these administrative tasks: 

• LCA Worksheet Questionnaire
• Employer Questionnaire
• Employee Questionnaire
• H-1B Petition Employee Document Checklist
• H-4 Document Checklist (if applicable)
• H-4 EAD Document Checklist (if applicable)
• Request for Evidence Checklist
• Initial Attorney Fee Invoice
• Remaining Attorney Fee Invoice
• Filing Fees Invoice
• Premium Processing Invoice (if applicable)
• Auto-filled USCIS documents from questionnaires: I-907, G-28, I-129, I-539, I-765 & more

The Results of an Automated H-1B Process

For Susheelan, automating the H-1B process has transformed how his firm works. “Employers can initiate a case at any time by clicking a link, instantly receiving the required intake forms and automatically generated invoices, regardless of the time or day,” Susheelan says. “Noodle’s AI-driven system efficiently manages follow-ups for payments and document submissions, eliminating the need for paralegal intervention.” 

This gives paralegals and other members of your team time to focus on other pressing issues that are not administrative work. 

Additionally, for Susheelan, automating with Noodle has made the process much faster. While preparing an H-1B petition for attorney review only takes about two to three hours, getting to that point takes time. 

“This has revolutionized the way we provide our service by speeding up the process dramatically and ensuring we are ready to proceed as soon as our clients provide the necessary documentation,” Susheelan adds. “[Applications were] often delayed by the slow accumulation of necessary documents and information.”

As lawyers are aware, organization is a non-negotiable in their field. This is especially true in immigration law, where disorder can negatively affect a client’s case. This structure is something Susheelan appreciates because it allows his team to push a case along more easily. 

“Noodle also organizes all documents and forms into a single, well-organized PDF,” he says. “This file is meticulously sorted by types of evidence as required by regulations and even includes instant drafts of notices of postings, employer support letters and attorney cover letters. This efficiency allows our paralegals to focus on refining and reviewing petitions rather than getting bogged down with administrative tasks.” 

Lastly, if you are hoping to scale your firm, one way to do that is to take on more cases. Noodle allows clients to do that—while offering top-notch service. “Unlike paralegals who can only handle one case at a time, Noodle is capable of processing an unlimited number of cases simultaneously,” Susheelan says. “Noodle enables teams to deliver high-quality services promptly, ensuring operations are responsive, productive and efficient.”