As the old year gives way to 2016, the process for H1B Visa 2016 applicants begins all over again. Right now, we are in the very beginning of our H1B season, and 2015 promises to be a tough season for candidates! If you are planning to apply, make sure to keep a close eye on the tasks you need complete and the documents you need filed.

With so much to do in so little time, you may be left wondering, “What do I need to do next?”

H1B Visa Application Timeline

To help you prepare, here is a rough monthly timeline that you can follow. As long as you have the tasks checked off at approximately the right time, you will be well on your way to your own H1B Visa!

January – First off, you can’t apply for your H1B Visa 2016 without your sponsor. To prepare a list of companies, look through the US Labor department’s H1B Visa sponsorship database. Alternatively, you could turn to a consulting company for more customized assistance in this area. If you are a student or a graduating student, talk to US Universities. Most of all, do not discount the power of your personal network!

Also, discuss with an attorney or consultancy what documents you need, and begin preparing your documents early.

February – This is a busy month. You need to learn more about your list of sponsors, and collect all of the documents that are required for the H1B Visa 2016. These are things like resumes, copies of your degree, etc.  By the end of February, you must have talked to and confirmed your H1B Sponsoring Company. If you need help deciding on a company, try making an excel scoreboard, and then scoring the companies you want based on priorities that matter to you.

March – In the very first week, there are three main objectives: Get the official list of documents you need and double-check that against the documents you prepared in February, send all necessary documents to your employer, and make sure you do not need any more documents. Always remember to give copies of documents, not originals.

For the next 2-3 weeks, you will need to keep up with your employer and attorney. Typically, companies are so busy working with so many H1B Visa 2016 petitions they will not have time to check up with you. Otherwise, the rest of the job is up to the employer. The sponsoring company will work with mail delivery companies to have the petitions delivered.

Remember, start early!

Obviously, you are a forward thinker if you are planning ahead as from January! But if you are reading this late, keep in mind that the H1B Visa 2016 limit, is usually filled during the first week of April, and so it is important that you have a company and all the necessary documents ready at least one full month prior.