Washington: The H-1B visa cap registration for the fiscal year 2025-26 will start on March 7 and end on March 24. This year, employers sponsoring H-1B visa applicants will have to pay a higher fee for the e-registration process.
These changes, introduced by the Biden administration, aim to enhance the integrity and transparency of the H-1B visa program. A beneficiary-centric registration process will be implemented, ensuring that each applicant is entered into the lottery only once, regardless of how many times they are registered by different sponsors.
Key Changes in the H-1B Visa Registration Process
- Beneficiary-Centric Approach: The system tracks applicants through their passport numbers, preventing multiple entries and reducing system manipulation.
- Lottery System: USCIS will conduct a lottery after the registration period ends to fill the 65,000 annual visa cap. Advanced degree holders from the US who are not selected in the first round will get a second chance in the lottery.
- H-1B Modernization Rules (Effective from January 17, 2024):
- The definition of specialty occupation has been updated.
- Employers now have more flexibility in hiring H-1B workers.
- IT service and consulting firms, which often place employees at client sites, will now have to meet client-specific job requirements rather than just their own.
These changes aim to reduce fraudulent applications and improve the selection process, making it more transparent for both employers and foreign workers.
