Washington, D.C., January 9, 2020: SUMMARY: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today through a Federal Register notice that it is implementing the online H-1B registration process for H-1B cap-subject petitions.

Registration Dates

The H-1B petition registration period begins on March 1, 2020 and is expected to end on March 20, 2020. USCIS expects to announce the actual end date on its website. The registration window is short. Employers must be prepared ahead of time to timely submit their registrations.

What to Do?

Employers should begin collecting information for new H-1B cap-subject H-1B visa petitions.

Employers should explore the USCIS online registration website at https://myaccount.uscis.gov/. Employers can create an online account but cannot register for H-1B petitions before March 1, 2020.

Employers should contact immigration counsel to obtain advice on how to process the new registrations to ensure compliance within the registration window from March 1, 2020 to March 20, 2020.

What Happens after H-1B Registration?

After the initial registration period closes, USCIS will conduct the initial selection process, and petitioners with selected registrations will be eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for those selected registrations during the associated filing period. USCIS will give employers selected in the H-1B lottery 60 days to file a complete H-1B petition with forms, fees, labor condition application and supporting evidence.

Donoso & Associates, a leading immigration law firm based in Washington, D.C., will continue to report on developments regarding the immigration law and policy through our news section of donosolaw.com.