The government’s fiscal year starts on Oct. 1. For employers, that date matters twice: new H-1B cap employees can start work, and a new year’s supply of green card numbers opens.
It is also a good week to look at every pending case at once. Here is the review we run with HR teams each fall.
Extension dates
An H-1B extension can be filed up to six months before the current approval ends. List every employee whose approval ends in the next nine months, so nobody’s paperwork starts late.
Check the six-year limit too. Time beyond six years is usually available only when a PERM application or I-140 petition was filed in time, so the green card timeline and the H-1B timeline have to be read together.
Job changes
H-1B approval covers a specific job at a specific place. A material change usually needs an amended petition before the change happens, not after.
- A move to a worksite outside the area covered by the labor condition application.
- A new title with substantially different duties.
- A change from full time to part time, or the reverse.
For PERM and I-140 cases, a new role can matter as well. If an employee’s duties have grown away from the job described in the PERM application, tell us before anything else is filed. See PERM labor certification.
Cases that have waited longest
Sort pending cases by filing date and look at the oldest. Some are waiting on a government decision. Others are waiting on a document from the employer or the employee, and nobody has noticed.
Then check the October Visa Bulletin. An employee whose priority date became current may be able to file for a green card this month.
Sources
Published Sept. 30, 2026.