ITS OFFICIAL NOW: USCIS ISSUES NOTICE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF H-1B REGISTRATION PROCESS FOR FY2021

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today the implementation of the H–1B registration process for H–1B cap-subject petitions. Here are important takeaways:

• The initial H–1B petition registration period will begin on Sunday, March 1, 2020. USCIS intends to close the initial registration period on Friday, March 20, 2020, and will announce the actual end date of the initial registration period on its website at www.uscis.gov.

• Employers and authorized representatives may start setting up their registration accounts in advance of the registration period opening. USCIS will post the date that employers and authorized representatives may start setting up accounts on its website.

• A petitioner or its authorized representative must electronically submit a separate registration request naming each individual it seeks to petition for a cap-subject H–1B.

• A petitioner may only submit one registration per beneficiary in any fiscal year. If a petitioner submits more than one registration for the same beneficiary in the same fiscal year, USCIS will consider all registrations filed by that petitioner for that beneficiary for that fiscal year invalid.

• USCIS will send notices electronically to all registrants with selected registrations that they are eligible to file an H–1B cap-subject petition on behalf of the individual named in the notice within the filing period indicated on the notice.

• The account holder who submitted the selected registration will receive notification via email or text message stating that an action has been added to their account, and they will have to log in to see the full notice.

• USCIS intends to notify registrants with selected registrations from the initial registration period no later than March 31, 2020.