U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced this week that H-1B cap registration will open March 6.

Key Points:

  • The registration window runs from noon EST on March 6 through noon EDT on March 22.
  • During this time, petitioners can use their USCIS online accounts to register H-1B beneficiaries electronically.
  • Petitioners must pay an associated registration fee for each beneficiary. Under a new regulation, the H-1B registration fee will increase from $10 to $215, though the higher rate will not be in effect for this year’s H-1B registration period.
  • This year, USCIS is making online organizational accounts available for the first time. The agency hosted a “Tech Talk” session to answer questions about the organizational accounts today and will host additional sessions on Feb. 8, 13, 14 and 15. Petitioners with existing accounts do not need to create new ones and will automatically have access to the enhancements.
  • USCIS will also host a webinar on Feb. 21, from 2-3:30 p.m. EDT, to share FY 2025 H-1B electronic registration process updates and provide a step-by-step overview of the H-1B registration submission process and a Q &A session.

Additional Information: USCIS first announced the dates of the filing window in a press release about the new regulation that makes changes to the H-1B selection process. The agency has explicitly stated that changes to the H-1B selection process are designed to “bolster integrity and curtail the potential for fraud while improving and streamlining our application processes … [making] H-1B selections more equitable for petitioners and beneficiaries.” This change has the potential to reduce the overall number of registrations and boost H-1B selection rates for employers.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries please contact copyright@bal.com.