USCIS Announces Registration Dates for the H-1B CAP Season FY 2024
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on January 27, 2023 that the initial period for FY 2024 H-1B cap registration will open at 12 noon EST on March 1, 2023, and run through 12 noon EST on March 17, 2023. Employers seeking to engage foreign nationals on H-1B visas must complete registrations online. In addition, it is important to note the following:
- Petitioners or their representatives must submit registrations via a myUSCIS online account and pay a $10 filing fee for each registration.
- Employers will not be able to submit registrations after the March 17 deadline. There is no advantage to filing the registrations at the beginning of the registration period but later the system might be overloaded with last-minute registrations. So, it is best to be prepared to submit the registrations soon after it opens on March 1, 2023.
- After the registration period, the USCIS will conduct a random lottery if there are more registrations than available visas. Annual H-1B caps continue to be set at 65,000 visas plus an additional quota of 20,000 for individuals with advanced U.S. degree holders.
- Petitioners will be given a 90-day period beginning April 1, 2023, to file full H-1B petitions for candidates that were selected in the random, post-registration selection.
In the last fiscal year, the USCIS received 484,927 H-1B registrations, the highest in history. We expect that the demand for H-1B visas will continue to be high this cap season, despite the layoffs and signs of an economic slowdown in the U.S.
Please contact Manizeh Mistry at Manizehm@LawQuestInternational.Com or Info@LawQuestInternational.Com if you have questions about the registration process or need assistance with your H-1B CAP selections and/or preparation.
