SUMMARY:
- USCIS opens registration for FY 2025 H-1B cap lottery from March 6 to March 22, 2024.
- The registration fee for FY 2025 remains $10, as the new fee increase to $215 takes effect after the registration period.
- A beneficiary-centric system replaces the group-of-registrations selection process to enhance program integrity and reduce fraud risks.
- The system now focuses on individual beneficiaries rather than registrations, aiming to prevent gaming of the registration process.
- Each beneficiary may only be registered under one passport or travel document, promoting fairness in the selection process.
- USCIS will require a valid passport or travel document number, with some flexibility for changes due to marriage, gender identity, or passport renewal.
USCIS has declared that the registration window for the FY 2025 H-1B cap lottery selection process is set to commence on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at noon ET, and will conclude on Friday, March 22, 2024, at noon ET. During this period, employers or their representatives can register potential H-1B beneficiaries through a myUSCIS online account. As in previous years, it is anticipated that USCIS will receive sufficient registrations by March 22 to conduct the random selection of 65,000 H-1B beneficiaries in the regular cap, with an additional 20,000 H-1B beneficiaries possessing an advanced degree from a U.S. public or nonprofit institution.
USCIS has clarified that the final rule increasing the registration fee to $215 will not take effect until after the FY 2025 registration period. Consequently, the FY 2025 H-1B registration fee will remain $10.
The final rule, titled “Improving the H-1B Registration Selection Process and Program Integrity,” introduces a beneficiary-centric system, shifting the selection process from groups of registrations to groups of beneficiaries. This change aims to enhance the integrity of and reduce fraud potential in the H-1B registration process. Responding to a significant rise in beneficiaries with multiple registrations in past fiscal years, USCIS received 780,884 registrations for FY 2024, with 408,891 submissions for beneficiaries with multiple eligible registrations. The new system seeks to ensure each beneficiary has an equal chance of selection by focusing on each unique beneficiary through the requirement of a valid passport or travel document for registration, preventing multiple registrations for the same beneficiary.
The registration system retains the need for a passport or travel document number, eliminating the option to bypass this requirement by indicating the absence of a beneficiary’s passport. USCIS emphasizes that the document used for registration should align with the one intended for entering the U.S. if selected. The final rule allows for flexibility in certain circumstances, such as a legal name change or passport renewal between registration and petition filing. USCIS holds the authority to deny or revoke H-1B petitions if it determines impermissible use of different passport information for multiple registrations for the same beneficiary.
