H-1B visa: Initial sign-up period closes on March 22

The initial sign-up period for H-1B visas for fiscal 2025 is set to close at 12 noon Eastern Time (9.30 pm IST) on March 22, according to a statement from a federal agency. The registration window opened on March 6.

The H1-B visa is for foreign guest workers in the US and is a favourite of Indian professionals seeking to work there.

During the period of March 6 to 22, prospective petitioners and their legal representatives are required to utilise the online account ‘myUSCIS’ provided by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to register each beneficiary for the selection process electronically.

Employers can now use the new organisational account ‘myUSCIS’ to register multiple entities under the same account.

In 2022, Indians secured 77% of the 320,000 approved H-1B visas. This year, the USCIS anticipates around 350,000 applicants, a decrease attributed to new measures against fraud.

Last year, over 400,000 out of 759,000 registrations were duplicated.

USCIS UPDATES ONLINE ACCOUNT FEATURES

Online account users will also be able to collaborate on registrations and petitions with enhanced organisational account features in their online accounts, US Citizenship and Immigration Services said on Monday.

Under a final rule released on January 30, employers hiring high-skilled foreign nationals will face significant fee increases for various visa petitions this year.

The USCIS filing fee for beneficiaries on H-1B petitions will rise by 70%, while those on L-1 petitions will see a 201% increase, and individuals on O-1 petitions will face a 129% increase, according to the reports.

Furthermore, USCIS announced that Form I-129 for H-1B petitions and Form I-907 for premium processing service are now available in USCIS online accounts.

The agency will commence accepting online filing of the forms for H-1B cap petitions on April 1.

“We will announce when online filing of non-cap H-1B petitions is available,” the USCIS said.