Ashby Immigration Integration Guide

Hiring international talent through Ashby means managing two systems that rarely talk to each other: your applicant tracking system and your immigration case workflow. Ashby is a modern recruiting platform built around structured pipelines, automation, and a first class open API, but it has no built in visa sponsorship tracking, USCIS case management, or compliance monitoring. That gap leads to manual data re entry, spreadsheet tracking, and email chains between recruiters, hiring managers, and immigration counsel. This guide walks employers and employees through the full Ashby immigration workflow in 2026, from candidate screening through filing and ongoing compliance, including how Alma's immigration platform connects with Ashby.

Ashby Immigration Timeline: From Candidate to Case Management

Ashby is purpose built for recruiting, not immigration, so every sponsorship workflow runs on top of general purpose building blocks: custom fields, stages, automation rules, and the open API. Teams that lean into Ashby's structured design catch sponsorship cases earlier, lose less time to re entry, and give immigration counsel cleaner data to work with.

Phase 1: Candidate Screening and Sponsorship Tagging

This is the earliest signal point in the funnel. Two custom application questions on every job posting capture sponsorship needs before interviews begin. The first asks whether the candidate is authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship. The second asks for current visa status (U.S. citizen, permanent resident, H-1B, F-1 OPT, STEM OPT, L-1, TN, O-1, or other).

What to capture at the application stage:

• Sponsorship status: Yes or no authorization question, stored as structured data so it can be filtered, reported, and used in automation rules.
• Current visa type and expiration: Critical for OPT, STEM OPT, TN, and H-1B candidates whose filing windows are tied to expiration dates.
• Country of birth: Relevant for green card priority date chargeability, especially for India and China born candidates who may face backlogs.
• Dependent count: Helps scope spousal and child filings early so budget and timing are not last minute surprises.

Ashby's automation rules can auto tag candidates as "Visa Sponsorship Needed," notify the mobility lead in Slack or email, or route the candidate to a specialized recruiter without manual sorting.

Phase 2: Pipeline Design and Custom Fields

Ashby's drag and drop pipeline builder lets HR teams add an "Immigration Review" stage between offer acceptance and onboarding. This creates a defined checkpoint for mobility or HR to assess the appropriate visa pathway, engage immigration counsel, and confirm timing before the candidate's start date. A second "Immigration Filing" stage signals that the case has moved to counsel. Candidates stay visible throughout so recruiters and hiring managers know where each sponsored hire stands.

Strong Ashby immigration workflow design typically includes two screening questions on every posting; sponsorship status as a structured custom field; "Immigration Review" and "Immigration Filing" pipeline stages with approval gates; candidate level custom fields for visa type, expiration, country of birth, and dependent count; automation rules that notify mobility leads on stage change; a webhook to a case management platform on hire; and stage level SLAs tracked in Ashby's analytics.

Weak workflow design typically shows sponsorship captured only in recruiter notes or email; no visa expiration tracking; the same onboarding pipeline for all hires; the mobility team finding out about a sponsored hire from the offer letter; candidate data re entered into immigration intake forms manually; and no alerts when a sponsored employee's title, salary, or location changes.

Phase 3: API Integration and Case Handoff

Ashby's open API and webhooks expose the full candidate, job, offer, and opening data model, along with event triggers such as "candidate hired" or "stage changed." This is the bridge between recruiting and immigration case management. A webhook on the "Immigration Filing" stage can automatically initiate a case in an external platform the moment a candidate is moved, eliminating the delay between offer acceptance and filing kickoff.

Streamline Your Ashby Immigration Workflow with Alma

Alma's immigration platform connects with Ashby through an API integration, syncing employee demographics, employment details, job data, and dependent information between systems. When a candidate is hired in Ashby, the integration creates an immigration case in Alma with pre populated data, reducing the manual re entry that can cause discrepancies and USCIS Requests for Evidence. Alma supports integrations with leading ATS systems including Ashby, Greenhouse, Lever, and Workable, alongside HRIS tools such as Workday, ADP, UKG, Gusto, BambooHR, and Rippling. For startups, growth stage companies, and enterprises, Alma pairs this integration with licensed immigration attorneys, real time case tracking dashboards, and automated compliance monitoring.

A common configuration fires the webhook only when a candidate enters the "Immigration Filing" stage rather than at offer acceptance, which avoids opening cases for hires who later decline or whose sponsorship needs shift during final negotiations.

Processing Times for High-Skill Visa Categories in 2026

Filing timelines have shifted in 2026 due to fee increases, regulatory changes, and persistent USCIS backlogs. Earlier planning is increasingly common.

H-1B Visa

The H-1B is the most common work visa for professional hires and is subject to an annual cap with a lottery based selection process. DHS finalized a wage weighted selection rule on December 29, 2025, effective February 27, 2026, which assigns higher paid registrations more lottery entries (one to four entries based on OEWS wage level) and was applied to the FY 2027 cap selection in March 2026.

Processing time and fee factors for H-1B (Form I-129):

• Standard processing: Check the USCIS Processing Times tool for current estimates (figures reflect the 80% completion benchmark).
• Premium processing: 15 business days for $2,965 per the USCIS final rule "Adjustment to Premium Processing Fees" effective March 1, 2026.
• Base filing fee: $780 (paper) or $730 (online); $460 for small employers and nonprofits, per the USCIS fee schedule. Plus the $600 Asylum Program Fee ($300 for small employers with 25 or fewer FTEs; $0 for 501(c)(3) nonprofits).
• Additional fees: ACWIA training fee ($750 for employers with 25 or fewer FTEs; $1,500 for 26 or more), $500 fraud prevention fee for initial H-1B and L-1 petitions and certain change of employer filings, $215 registration fee for cap cases.
• $100,000 proclamation payment: Required under Presidential Proclamation 10973 for certain new H-1B petitions filed on or after September 21, 2025 for beneficiaries abroad without a valid H-1B visa, petitions requesting consular notification or pre flight inspection, and certain change of status, amendment, or extension petitions where in country adjudication is unavailable. It does not apply to amendments, extensions, or changes of status for beneficiaries already inside the U.S. with valid H-1B status.

O-1 Visa (Extraordinary Ability)

The O-1A and O-1B visas are not subject to annual caps or lottery selection, which makes them an alternative for candidates who were not selected in the H-1B lottery or who qualify based on achievements.

Processing time and fee factors for O-1 (Form I-129):

• Standard processing: Check the USCIS Processing Times tool for current estimates.
• Premium processing: 15 business days for $2,965.
• Base filing fee: $1,055 ($530 for small employers and nonprofits) plus the Asylum Program Fee, per the USCIS fee schedule.

In practitioner experience, evidence gathering for an O-1 petition often takes 2 to 4 months, since the petitioner documents extraordinary ability through awards, publications, press, high salary, or critical role evidence.

EB-1 Priority Workers and the EB-2 National Interest Waiver

For long term retention, early green card planning matters. EB-1 and EB-2 are separate preference categories under INA Section 203(b)(1) and Section 203(b)(2); the National Interest Waiver is a subcategory of EB-2. The two categories most relevant to high skill talent are EB-1 (extraordinary ability, outstanding researchers, multinational managers) and EB-2 NIW (national interest waiver).

Processing time and fee factors for I-140:

• Standard processing: Check the USCIS Processing Times tool for current estimates.
• Premium processing: 15 business days for EB-1A, EB-1B, EB-2 (PERM based), and EB-3; and 45 business days for EB-1C and EB-2 NIW. The fee is $2,965 across all categories.
• Filing fee: $715 (paper) or $665 (online) plus the $600 Asylum Program Fee.

The EB-2 NIW lets qualifying employees self petition without employer sponsorship, bypassing PERM entirely. Compared with the PERM based EB-2 or EB-3 pathway, this can remove roughly 15 to 24 months from the green card timeline, based on current DOL FLAG data. For more on eligibility, see Alma's EB-2 NIW guide.

PERM Labor Certification

PERM remains the longest agency processing bottleneck before final action visa availability. The Department of Labor publishes current analyst review, audit review, and reconsideration queue dates on its FLAG processing times page.

End to end PERM timeline (roughly 22 to 36 months as of April 2026, per DOL FLAG):

• Prevailing wage determination (Form ETA-9141): approximately three months as of early 2026, per the DOL FLAG processing times page.
• Recruitment: 2 to 3 months covering the SWA job order, newspaper ads, and additional recruitment.
• 30 day cooling period after recruitment before filing.
• DOL adjudication: approximately 15 to 17 months standard, currently averaging about 501 days as of March 2026; audited cases add another 8 to 12 months on average.

Alma's PERM services cover prevailing wage management, recruitment oversight, and DOL audit response at a flat $8,000.

Bottom line: Current DOL processing times mean a PERM filing initiated in early 2026 will typically not reach the I-140 stage until 2027 or later.

Employer Compliance Obligations for Sponsored Workers

Sponsoring foreign nationals creates ongoing obligations well beyond the initial filing. Enforcement intensified in 2026, most prominently under DOL's Project Firewall (announced September 19, 2025 by Secretary Chavez-DeRemer, authorizing Secretary-certified H-1B investigations through the Wage and Hour Division) and the EEOC's November 2025 technical assistance on national origin discrimination tied to H-1B preferences, with expanded USCIS site visits and interagency coordination among DOL, USCIS, the DOJ Civil Rights Division, and the EEOC focused on H-1B program compliance.

Ongoing compliance requirements:

• I-9 verification: Section 1 must be completed no later than the employee's first day of employment; Section 2 within three business days after that first day, per USCIS Form I-9 guidance. Per the DHS final rule effective August 1, 2023, E-Verify enrolled employers in good standing can conduct remote document examination via live video under the alternative procedure. Retain I-9s for three years after hire or one year after termination, whichever is later.
• LCA notice posting (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3): Post the LCA notice (which may be the LCA itself or a separate notice with the required content) in two conspicuous worksite locations for 10 days, on or within 30 days before filing the LCA via the DOL FLAG system. Electronic notice (intranet, email, or electronic bulletin board) is acceptable.
• Public access file: Available within one working day of LCA filing; contains the certified LCA, prevailing wage documentation, actual wage system explanation, posting evidence, paid wage documentation for each H-1B worker, and a summary of benefits offered to U.S. workers (with additional items for H-1B dependent or willful violator employers). Retain for one year beyond the last date of employment under the LCA, or one year beyond LCA expiration or withdrawal if no H-1B was employed.
• PERM recruitment records: Retain all supporting materials for five years from the PERM filing date, including the recruitment report.
• FDNS site visit readiness: Unannounced USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security site visits can occur at any time. Sponsored employees' actual duties must match their petition descriptions.

Ashby's structured job and offer data (title, location, compensation, job description) pairs cleanly with immigration compliance workflows. When these fields change, the integration can flag amendment triggers before a material change becomes a violation.

2026 Policy Changes Affecting Your Ashby Workflow

Premium Processing Fee Increase

Per the USCIS final rule "Adjustment to Premium Processing Fees" published January 12, 2026, premium processing fees increased on March 1, 2026. The fee for most I-129 classifications (including H-1B, L-1, O-1, E-3, TN) and for I-140 employment based petitions is now $2,965. Premium processing remains unavailable for PERM (a DOL form), I-485 Adjustment of Status, and I-131 Advance Parole.

Wage Weighted H-1B Cap Selection

DHS finalized a wage weighted H-1B cap selection rule on December 29, 2025, effective February 27, 2026, per the Federal Register notice. The rule assigns higher paid registrations more lottery entries based on OEWS wage level (Level I = 1 entry, Level II = 2, Level III = 3, Level IV = 4) and was applied to the FY 2027 cap selection in March 2026.

H-1B $100,000 Proclamation Payment

Presidential Proclamation 10973 ("Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers"), signed September 19, 2025, imposes a one time, per petition $100,000 payment on covered new H-1B petitions filed at or after 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 21, 2025. Per USCIS implementation guidance posted October 20, 2025 (updated March 31, 2026), the payment applies to petitions for beneficiaries outside the U.S. without a valid H-1B visa, petitions requesting consular notification or pre flight inspection, and certain change of status, amendment, or extension petitions where in country adjudication is unavailable. It does not apply to amendments, extensions, or changes of status for beneficiaries already inside the U.S. with valid H-1B status. Scheduled to expire September 21, 2026 absent extension. As of April 2026 the payment remains in effect; the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia upheld it on December 23, 2025 in Chamber of Commerce and Association of American Universities v. DHS, now on expedited appeal at the D.C. Circuit, with additional challenges pending.

USCIS Payment Modernization

Pursuant to Executive Order 14247, USCIS phased out paper checks for mailed paper filings as of October 28, 2025, per the USCIS announcement. Filings now use ACH debit (Form G-1650) or credit or debit card payments (Form G-1450); Form G-1651 covers the limited paper payment exemption. Filings submitted with the wrong payment type are returned, creating delays critical for time sensitive H-1B cap filings or status change deadlines.

Why Choose Alma for Your Ashby Immigration Integration?

Read success stories from Alma's clients including AI founders, cybersecurity experts, and healthcare professionals.

Traditional immigration firms often take 2 to 4 months for petition preparation and bill hourly, which makes budgeting and planning around Ashby hire dates difficult. Alma's platform replaces that model with technology enabled efficiency, direct attorney communication, and flat fee pricing transparent on the pricing page.

Alma's flat rate pricing for high skill visas:

• H-1B lottery registration: $500; H-1B cap or cap exempt: $3,500; H-1B extension, change of employer, or amendment: $3,000.
• O-1 new petition: $8,000; O-1 extension, change of employer, or amendment: $3,000.
• EB-1A, EB-1B, EB-1C: $10,000 ($7,000 with an approved O-1).
• EB-2 NIW: $10,000 ($7,000 with an approved O-1).
• PERM (Labor Cert): $8,000; I-140 (PERM based, EB-2 or EB-3): $4,000.
• L-1 initial or new office: $6,000; L-1 extension: $3,000.

All fees include attorney expertise, paralegal support, platform access, RFE responses, and administrative charges such as FedEx, printing, and postage. USCIS filing fees and third party costs such as education evaluations or translation services are billed separately. Payment plans (50/50 split) are available, and volume discounts apply for larger foreign national populations.

The Alma difference in practice:

Speed: A streamlined document processing turnaround that is meaningfully faster than the traditional 4 to 8 week industry standard, with direct attorney communication and 24/7 portal visibility into case progress, backed by an industry-high approval rate.

Integration: Documented Ashby connectivity, plus additional HRIS and ATS integrations including Greenhouse, Lever, Workable, Workday, ADP, UKG, Gusto, BambooHR, and Rippling.

Compliance: Automated LCA tracking, public access file maintenance, I-9 audit readiness, visa expiration alerts, and proactive change of condition monitoring so title, salary, and location changes surface in time for amendments.

Transparency: Flat fee pricing published on the pricing page, real time case status visibility, and structured milestone alerts.

‍Schedule a consultation to discuss your company's immigration program or your individual visa options.