UPDATE: USCIS TO IMPLEMENT ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEM FOR FY 2021 H-1B CAP SEASON

By: Armando Escobedo; Gladys Gervacio

SUMMARY

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it has successfully completed testing of the electronic registration system and will implement this registration process for the fiscal year (FY) 2021 H-1B cap season.

What is the Electronic Registration System?

For FY 2021 H-1B cap season, H-1B petitioners must first register electronically by providing basic information about the company and prospective H-1B employee, and pay a $10 registration fee for each employee.

What to Expect?

1. Designated Electronic Registration Period: Initial registration period will be open from March 1 through March 20, 2020.
2. Allocation of Annual H-1B Cap:
   • USCIS will first count all registrations (regular cap and advanced degree) towards the annual cap. Then it will select petitions towards the advanced degree exemption.
   • USCIS will also hold H-1B registrations on reserve in case the annual quota due is not satisfied.

Please Note: USCIS will soon post on its website step-by-step instructions on how to complete the registration process and announce outreach activities to ensure H-1B petitioners are familiar with the new registration system.

As always, we will continue to monitor for any updates on the registration period for the FY 2021 H-1B cap season.

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Contact us for more information about preparing for the FY2021 H1B cap season and/or to subscribe to our newsletter, please email us at info@chugh.com. We also encourage you to share this and other alerts with others who might benefit from its contents.