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H-1B visa online filing for FY25 to begin in February 2024; Check all details here
By the end of January, the USCIS is expected to formally disclose information about the availability of organisational accounts and dates for H-1B registration.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the online application filing period for H-1B applications for the fiscal year 2025 (FY25) will begin in February. The H-1B registration process will be made easier with the introduction of organisational accounts by the USCIS.
The organisational accounts will allow several individuals within an organisation, including a company or other business entity, and their legal advisors to collaborate on the preparation of H-1B registrations, Form I-129 (petition for a non-immigrant worker) and associated Form I-907 (request for premium processing service), stated USCIS on its website.
“USCIS is always striving to improve and streamline our processes, and this is a big step forward,” said Ur M. Jaddou, the USCIS Director. “Once we launch the organisational accounts and online filing of I-129 H-1B petitions, the entire H-1B lifecycle becomes fully electronic -- from registration, if applicable, to our final decision and transmission to the Department of State.”
Three different modes available for submission of H-1B visa petitions
By the end of January, the USCIS is anticipated to formally disclose information about the availability of organisational accounts and dates for H-1B registration.
Three different methods are available for submitting H-1B visa petitions: online via the petitioner's organisational account, the petitioner's legal representation, or conventional paper-based plea.
USIS to conduct two national engagements on organisational accounts
Before starting the H-1B registration process, the USCIS will hold two nationwide engagement sessions on organisational accounts on January 23 and January 24 to assist organisations and legal counsel.
These sessions will offer an opportunity to the individuals to ask questions regarding the organisational accounts in preparation for the FY 2025 H-1B electronic registration process and launch of online filing of Form I-129 for H-1B petitions.
This development comes after the Biden administration made changes to improve the H-1B system's effectiveness while keeping the 60,000 visa annual cap in place. The proposed modifications seek to simplify qualifying requirements and provide F-1 students, business owners, and others connected to nonprofit organisations more flexibility. The proposed regulation also forbids linked companies from submitting numerous registrations for the same beneficiary, addressing concerns about fraud and misuse and supporting the program's integrity procedures.
