UPDATE CHANGES TO THE H1B PROCESS FOR FY2020

We will shortly see changes to procedures in the immigration system that reflect the United States’ and the world’s growing dependence on technology. One notable transformation involves the procedure of obtaining an H1-B, a visa that allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers engaged in specialty occupations.     

On January 9th, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services (UCSIS) published a Federal Register Notice to publicly announce the official plan to employ an H-1B Electronic Registration Process for Fiscal Year 2021 Cap Season. Below, we will briefly discuss significant aspects of the key changes concerning the altered process. 

Under these new circumstances, employers seeking H1-B workers will need to provide basic information about their company and each requested worker in the initial electronic registration period, which is open from March 1 through March 20, 2020.  Through the implementation of an electronic approach, those seeking to file will do so with USCIS and are required to pay a $10 H1-B registration fee.  Companies may register for the electronic system prior to the March 1stdate.  As in the past, a petitioner is permitted to only submit a single registration per beneficiary in one fiscal year.  If the petitioner ignores this regulation and requests more than once for the same beneficiary in the same year, all registrations filed by that petitioner on behalf of that beneficiary will be deemed invalid. 

After the initial registration period, registrants will be notified no later than March 31, 2020 if their application has been selected.  If the application is selected, then a complete H1-B submission can be submitted.  Although this process may require less initial paperwork, companies must be do their due diligence to ensure that the Applicant meets the necessary H1-b requirements.  USCIS will post step-by-step instructions on how to complete the registration process, along with key dates and timelines, on its