UNITED STATES: Electronic Registration Required for Upcoming H-1B Cap Season

December 10, 2019


US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will implement its new electronic registration process for H-1B applications for the upcoming H-1B lottery.

Employers seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions for the fiscal year 2021 cap, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption, must first, between 1 and 20 March 2020, electronically register with basic information about the company and worker, and pay the associated USD10 registration fee.

The electronic registration system means that employers will no longer have to file a complete H-1B petition only to see it rejected if it is not selected in the cap lottery. Rather, the lottery will be run based on electronic registrations, and employers will then have 90 days to file H-1B petitions for petitioners who have already been selected in the lottery.

Our Advice

Employers who may be affected are encouraged to contact a Newland Chase immigration specialist for case-specific advice.

For general advice and information on immigration and business travel to the US, please contact us.