The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced an extension of the initial registration period for the FY-Fiscal Year 2025 h-1B cap. Initially, it was scheduled to end at noon Eastern on March 22, 2024, the registration period will now run until noon Eastern on March 25, 2024.
This extension was given as a response to a temporary system outage experienced by some registrants with USCIS aiming to accommodate affected individuals by providing additional time.
The immigration agency made his statement by saying that USCIS remains committed to notifying selected registrants by March 31,2024.
USCIS introduced new USCIS organizational accounts, facilitating collaboration among multiple individuals within an organization and their legal representatives for H-1B registrations, petitions, and associated Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service on February 28, 2024. Participation in the H-1B Electronic Registration Process from this year requires a new organizational account.
How to register for USCIS online?
The proposed idea changes aim to address concerns related to the integrity of the program and to curb potential instances of fraud or misuse.
If applicable, prospective petitioners in this extended period are required to use a USCIS online account to electronically register each beneficiary for the selection process. In addition to that, they must pay the associated registration fee of $10 for each beneficiary. That means that employers seeking to sponsor foreign workers for H-1B visas must now provide specific and detailed information for each beneficiary during the registration. This information includes essential details such as passport information or valid travel document details.
This change in the registration process aims to straighten and enhance the integrity of the H-1B visa program. USCIS intention of asking for detailed beneficiary information upfront it intends to ensure transparency and accuracy in the selection process thereby reducing the possible errors or fraudulent activities. This adjustments reflects ongoing efforts by US immigration authorities to manage the demand for H-1B visas effectively while addressing concerns surrounding program issue and maintaining fairness in the selection process.
The government initiative to modernize immigration systems and address challenges faced by applicants and employers signify the developments. By introducing online registration and organizational accounts, the USCIS aims to streamline processes, reduce paper works and improve accessibility for stakeholders involved in the immigration process.
USCIS says these sessions should serve as a platform for individuals to seek clarification regarding organizational accounts and online filing of Form I-29 for H-1B petitions. In February 2024, the USCIS also initiated Tech Talk sessions to support organizations and legal representatives in navigating this new process.
