USCIS has announced today that it has successfully completed the testing phase of the online registration system for the H-1B lottery. To learn more about the H-1B visa and your eligibility, please click here. The online registration process will be implemented in the next fiscal year H-1B cap season. A $10 non-refundable registration fee will be required for each H-1B cap registration at the time of submission.
Starting next year, employers will have to register each individual foreign national they would like to sponsor for the lottery first. In order to register, employers will file a short online form that provides basic information about the company, the job offer, and the prospective foreign employee. A separate form will have to be filed for each individual foreign employee. The initial registration period will run from March 1 to March 20, 2020. Case selection will occur afterwards. Only cases that have been selected may be submitted to USCIS starting April 1. For more information about the proposed changes to the H-1B application process, please click here.
USCIS will post step-by-step instructions informing registrants how to complete the registration process on its website along with key dates and timelines as the initial registration period nears. USCIS will also conduct public engagements and other outreach activities to ensure registrants and interested parties are familiar with the new registration system. The agency may determine it is necessary to continue accepting registrations, or open an additional registration period, if it does not receive enough registrations and subsequent petitions projected to reach the numerical allocations.
