Highlights
- Employers can now create or update their company "organizational accounts" with USCIS for the revised online H-1B cap registration system.
- H-1B cap registration opens on March 6, 2024 at 9 am Pacific time. Employers must have an account in order to register beneficiaries for this year's H1B cap lottery.
- Registered foreign nationals must have a valid passport at the time their H1B cap lottery registration is submitted.
USCIS Makes New Organizational Accounts Available
The USCIS has now made their organizational account system available online. The US immigration agency announced the new accounts system on February 28, 2024. These accounts will be used by U.S. companies and organizations to register prospective employees for the upcoming H1B cap registration process in March 2024. American employers can create new accounts with the USCIS. Employers with existing “registrant” accounts can upgrade their accounts in the USCIS's new online system. You can create a new account or upgrade your existing account at the My USCIS website.
Your company or organization must have a new new or upgraded account to register current or prospective foreign employees for this year's H1B cap lottery. This year's cap lottery will be held between March 6 and March 22, 2024, at 9 am Pacific time.
We recommend that employers start this process as soon as possible, to work out any possible issues before the H1B cap lottery registration period begins. The system is new and complex, and the USCIS does not have the best track record for implementing new technology.
Be aware that upgraded USCIS accounts may not have all the information from prior years for several hours or days.
H1B Cap Lottery Registration Period is March 6th to March 22nd, 2024 at 9 am Pacific time
The USCIS will open the H1B cap lottery registration period on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 9 am Pacific time. Employers can begin input, review, and submit registrations for the H1B lottery starting on that date. Registrations must be submitted no later than Friday, March 22 at 9 am Pacific time. The USCIS will not accept late registrations.
Foreign Nationals Must Have Valid Passports at the Time of Registration for the H1B Cap Lottery
The USCIS revised the H1B cap registration process for this lottery season. The lottery process will now be "beneficiary centric", meaning that each beneficiary will have the same chance as others even if multiple employers register them in the lottery process. This system requires that each foreign national hold a passport or travel document to serve as their unique personal identifier. The passport number will serve as the method for being selected in the H1B cap lottery.
The USCIS just announced that the passport or travel document for any registered foreign national must be valid and unexpired at the time the registration is submitted. Furthermore, beneficiaries must use the same passport for all H1B cap lottery registrations that are submitted on their behalf.
If the USCIS discovers that an individual used multiple passports or travel documents to register for the H1B cap lottery process, the rules provide for significant consequences. The penalties could include invalidating all H1B registrations filed for the foreign national, denying or revoking any H-1B petitions filed on the basis of those registrations, and losing the H1B cap number if the foreign national is selected.
World One Law Group recommends that H1B beneficiaries use the same passport or travel document to register for the lottery that they plan to use on their H1B petition filing forms. It should also be the passport used to enter the United States in H1B status in the future. Of course, an H1B visa holder may renew their passport, replace a lost or stolen passport, change their name due to marriage or divorce, or change their gender identity.
World One Law Group Can Answer Your Questions about the H1B Cap Lottery System
If you or your company has questions or concerns about the H1B cap lottery process, World One Law Group is here to help! Email us at [email protected] or call 425-250-8110. We can set up a free consultation to review your company's immigration needs, discuss different work visa options, and develop the best corporate strategy for recruiting, hiring, and retaining global talent in the United States.
Happy H1B Cap Lottery Season!
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