H-1B Initial Registration for FY 2024 Opens March 1

H-1B initial registration for 2024 to soon be open. A total of 131,970 H-1B registrations selected in FY 2022. Of these, 87,500 were through initial selection.

On January 28, 2023, the US Government announced that “The initial registration period for the fiscal year 2024 H-1B cap will run from noon ET on March 1 to noon ET on March 17”. The official announcement came in the form of a Press Release by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

H-1B visa lets you live and work in the US for a maximum of 6 years. Generally, the initial registration period is open for a minimum of 14 calendar days in each financial year.

Source: Twitter

Once the H-1B initial registration period is open, U.S. companies petitioning for H-1B workers will be able to complete and submit their registrations online. Both registrants and their representatives are required to wait until March 1 to create and submit H-1B registrations online.

What is H-1B electronic registration process?

In 2020, USCIS implemented an electronic registration process for H-1B visas that come under the annual cap or numerical limit. A prospective petitioner that wants to file an H-1B cap-subject petition must begin the process by registering online.

Basic information will be needed about -

• The prospective U.S. employer petitioning for an H-1B worker, and
• The requested worker being petitioned for.

Once the initial registration window is closed, the selection process will then run on the H-1B electronic registrations that were properly submitted. Selected H-1B registrations will only be eligible for filing H-1B cap-subject petitions.

Why was the H-1B electronic registration process introduced by USCIS?

An electronic H-1B registration was introduced to -

• Streamline processing by reducing data exchange and paperwork,
• Reduced overall costs for petitioning U.S. employers.

How to submit H-1B registration for FY 2024?

For submitting an H-1B registration, you must first create a USCIS online account.

What is the H-1B registration fee?

USD 10 (around INR 816) has to be paid as the associated H-1B registration fee per person.

How many H-1B visas are granted in a year?

Total H-1B visas granted in a financial year by USCIS are -

• 65,000 subject to cap, and
• 20,000 additional for those with Master’s or higher from a U.S. educational institution

What is the H-1B process timeline?

Generally, important dates under the H-1B registration process timeline are -

• March 1: H-1B registration period opens (at noon ET)
• March 18: H-1 registration period closes (at noon ET)
• March 31: Date by which USCIS notifies selected registrants
• April 1: Earliest that H-1B cap-subject petitions might be filed

There is a random selection process. Selection notifications will be sent by USCIS to users via their myUSCIS online account.

How many H-1B registrations were selected for Financial Year 2022?

131,970 H-1B registrations were selected in total by USCIS for FY 2022, in 3 separate selection rounds.

H-1B is the most sought-after way to live and work in the United States. A minimum Bachelor’s degree will be required, either in the specialty or its equivalent. There are other ways to work in the U.S., such as intra-company transfer.

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