This Holland & Knight alert details the upcoming 2024 H-1B Visa Cap Registration Period and related procedures.

When Is the Registration Period?

The registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2024 H-1B cap will open at noon EST on March 1, 2023, and run through noon EST on March 17, 2023 (the H-1B Visa Cap Registration Period).

What Is the Purpose of the Registration Period?

During the H-1B Visa Cap Registration Period, prospective employers (petitioners) and their representatives (Attorneys of Record) will be able to provide U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with employer and prospective employee (beneficiary) information in order to have the chance to file an initial H-1B visa petition for the named beneficiary reflected therein.

How Will It Work?

Prospective petitioners and their representatives will be required to create and use a myUSCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the H-1B visa petition selection process and will be required to pay a $10 nonrefundable registration fee for each beneficiary registration. Prospective petitioners submitting their own registrations (U.S. employers and U.S. agents, referred to as "registrants") will use a registrant account that is not yet available but is expected to be available on Feb. 21, 2023, or soon thereafter. Attorneys of Record filing registrations for employer clients may add employer clients to their myUSCIS accounts at any time, but both registrants and Attorneys of Record must wait until March 1 to enter beneficiary information and submit the $10 registration fee. Once each registration is filed, a confirmation number will be assigned to the registration, and this number will be used solely to track the registration.

What Is a MyUSCIS Account and Is It Really Needed?

Each prospective employer must create a myUSCIS account and either file its own registration or confirm the registration information entered by Holland & Knight, as the Attorney of Record, and authorize its attorney to proceed to file the registration for the employer. Prospective petitioners and their Attorneys of Record will be able to submit registrations for multiple beneficiaries in a single online session.

Where Can I Find Helpful Information?

For general information about the H-1B registration process, visit the USCIS website's H-1B Electronic Registration Process overview.

Where Can I Find Help Setting Up a MyUSCIS Account?

To create your company's required myUSCIS account, watch this short video from USCIS with screen shots and follow the instructions.

Can I Start the Process Now?

At this time, you will only be able to create your myUSCIS account. You will not be able to do anything else within your myUSCIS account until noon on March 1, 2022, when registration opens, but it is important to create your myUSCIS account so that you are ready and know the system is working. 

Can Registrations Be Edited or Saved Prior to Submission?

Through the registrant's or representative's myUSCIS account, registrations can be prepared, saved and edited but only prior to final payment and submission of the registration. Once the registration is submitted, no changes can be made.

What Happens to the Registrations Received by USCIS?

If USCIS receives more registrations than it is able to process because of the H-1B visa cap by March 17, 2023, it will randomly select registrations and send selection notifications to the applicable myUSCIS account.

When Will USCIS Begin Notifying of Selected Registrations?

USCIS intends to commence notifying account holders by March 31, 2023.

What Is the Background for This Registration Process?

In 2020, USCIS implemented an electronic registration process for all initial H-1B visa petitions wanting to be filed, requiring all prospective employers to electronically register and pay a $10 registration fee for each prospective beneficiary. The information required for the registration is basic information about the prospective employer and the prospective employee. Only those registrations selected can then result in an H-1B visa petition being filed by the prospective petitioner on behalf of the prospective employee as reflected therein.

Any Additional Advice?

The registration process is quite unforgiving. It is recommended that prior to submitting a registration or having an Attorney of Record submit a registration on your behalf that you review very carefully all of the information and ensure that all of the information is accurate. Once submitted, if there is an error, it is likely that it cannot be fixed and it can result in your registration being ineligible for selection.