New York: The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the H-1B visa application submission process for the fiscal year 2025 would start from March 6. The US agency also announced new selection criteria for H-1B Visa for the fiscal year 2025.
The new system includes provision of a beneficiary-centric selection process for registrations by employers. Under the new rule, registrations will be selected based on unique beneficiaries, rather than the number of registrations submitted. This change aims to reduce the potential for fraud and ensure that all beneficiaries have an equal chance of being selected.
Starting from the FY 2025 initial registration period, USCIS will require registrants to provide valid passport information or valid travel document information for each beneficiary. Each beneficiary must only be registered under one passport or travel document.
USCIS said the initial registration period for the fiscal 2025 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 6, and run through March 22. During this period, prospective petitioners and their representatives, if applicable, must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated registration fee for each beneficiary. Starting February 28, companies would be allowed to open their account which can be used to start and complete the registration process.
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USCIS has also announced the launch of an online filing option for Forms I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, and Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, for H-1B petitioners.H-1B Registration Final Rule
USCIS has also announced the Fee Schedule final rule. That rule will go into effect after the initial registration period for the FY 2025 H-1B cap. Therefore, the registration fee during the registration period starting in March 2024, will remain $10.
A new edition of Form I-129 with the H-1B Registration final rule and Fee Schedule final rule changes will soon be available to preview on uscis.gov (edition date 04/01/24). On April 1, 2024, only the 04/01/24 edition of Form I-129 will be accepted.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
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