US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that H-1B Registration will be opening March 4th at noon and closing on March 19th at noon. With these dates quickly approaching, employers should begin assessing their H-1B needs in preparation for registration.

The registration process remains the same as last year with a $215 registration fee per applicant. As a reminder, USCIS is requiring the Beneficiary’s passport or travel document provided during registration be the same one the beneficiary intends to use to enter the United States if issued an H-1B visa. Therefore, each beneficiary can only be registered under one passport or travel document.

There is one major change to the H-1B selection process this year. While the H-1B remains a lottery, it will no longer be completely random. Under the new system, each H-1B registration will be assigned a weight based on the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) wage level. The OEWS wage levels range from Level I (entry-level wages) to Level IV (highest wage level). The higher the wage level, the greater probability of selection, as described below:

Registrations at wage level IV will be entered into the selection pool four times;
Registrations at wage level III will be entered three times;
Registrations at wage level II will be entered two times; and
Registrations at wage level I will be entered once.

As a result, the salary offered to beneficiaries will impact the odds of being selected. Therefore, we recommend that employers begin assessing their H-1B needs and begin to gather job descriptions for the positions they intend to sponsor early to confirm accurate details. By preparing early, employers can collect the necessary documents and information needed to ensure they are ready for the multistep registration process and ensure their candidates get registered as soon as H-1B registration begins!

We ask employers to notify us of any H-1B cap registrants as soon as possible to ensure that wage levels are determined in time for registration. Our immigration team is prepared to help employers navigate this year’s H-1B cap season! If you have not already been in touch with one of our attorneys, feel free to contact us for free consults to discuss the H1B process in detail. Please contact our Immigration Law Practice Group’s Legal Assistant, Elizabeth Parody at 313-965-6741 to schedule a consult today.

Any information included here or through our website is presented solely for general informational purposes and is not in any way intended as legal advice, is not a substitute for getting actual legal advice from an attorney, and should not be acted upon as legal advice without first seeking qualified professional counsel specific to your needs and situation. Additionally, by providing this general information and the information on our website, no attorney client relationship is created.

H-1B Registration Coming Soon

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