USCIS Announces Implementation of H-1B Electronic Registration Process for Fiscal Year 2021 Cap Season
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Pasricha & Patel Takeaways:
USCIS has announced that it will implement an electronic registration requirement for H-1B petitioners that wish to submit H-1B cap petitions starting with the Fiscal year 2021 H-1B cap petitions next year. This will require the U.S. employer/petitioner to register electronically with the USCIS, and then pay a $10.00 registration fee for EACH H-1B petition that the U.S. employer wishes to submit with the USCIS in the upcoming FY 2021 H-1B cap lottery system. This fee is non-refundable.
The registration system will ask the U.S. employer or their authorized representatives to fill out a registration form that contains the basic information about the company and the intended H-1B quota candidate. The registration period will begin on March 1, 2020 and last through March 20, 2020.
After the registration period has concluded, the USCIS will run a random lottery and selection process on the registered applications. And only those selected registrants will be able to proceed with the filing of the H-1B cap petitions.
USCIS will announce further details about the registration process, as well as upcoming key dates and timelines in the coming days.
This is a dramatic change from the H-1B cap filing process of recent years. Instead of requiring the U.S. petitioner/employer to start submitting H-1B cap subject petitions on April 1 of each year, the new system is a two (2) –step process, that the USCIS says will save the U.S. employer/petitioner time and money by having this streamlined registration and selection process.
We suggest readers continue to check back with our website regularly so that you will know the updates regarding this new process.
And should you have any particular questions about the H-1B filing process, please do not hesitate to contact our office to schedule formal consultation as well.