Employers should get ready for the 2025 H-1B cap registration to open at 12 PM EST on March 6 and run through 12 PM EST on March 22. Employers will continue to have the opportunity to complete and submit their registrations using the USCIS online H-1B registration system – and the fees will remain the same for now. But you should also note new Integrity Measures under a final rule the agency announced last week, which are intended to reduce the potential for fraud in the H-1B registration process. What do employers need to know about the new Integrity Measures and pending fee increases ahead of the upcoming registration period?
Same Fees Despite Upcoming Increases
There’s some good news for employers: a planned uptick in fees will not impact the FY 2025 H-1B cap registration. Notably, USCIS has confirmed significant increases in filing fees for various employment-based petitions, effective April 1, which includes a major hike in the H-1B cap registration fee from $10 to $215 for FY 2026. However, USCIS confirmed that this year’s H-1B cap registration is staying at $10.
New Organizational Accounts and Online Filings
USCIS will launch new organizational accounts on February 28 in its online account system that will allow multiple people within an organization and their legal representatives to prepare H-1B registrations, petitions, and premium processing requests for cap subject petitions.
On that date, USCIS will being accepting online filings of non-cap H-1B petitions. On April 1, the agency will begin accepting online filing for H-1B cap petitions for petitioners whose registrations have been selected.
What Are the Next Steps for Employers?
Employers should identify who they would like to register for this year’s H-1B cap registration. Under the new Integrity Measures, individuals can only register one time under one passport or travel document. The requested start date will remain October 1, 2025. USCIS has the ability to deny or revoke H-1B petitions where the underlying registration contained a false attestation or was otherwise invalid.
USCIS will select registrations and send selection notifications via users’ myUSCIS online accounts by the end of March.
