H-1B visa selection process
The U.S Citizenship & Immigration Service or USCIS has successfully completed the running of choosing 70000 applications for H-1B visa for the fiscal year 2025.
Registering for other services for-special-beneficiaries
For this purpose, the USCIS will hold additional selections solely for the registration of the H-1B cap for FY 2025. These other registers enable more candidates to make the selection and what was not obtained in the first round can be obtained in other rounds.
Each of the USCIS offices participating in the registration process has a registration closing date that indicates the number of applications required to reach the maximum registration count for the fiscal year, and all offices take random applications till the numbers are achieved.
Petitioners filing requirements
The Applicants who received registrations selected for the petition must follow particular procedures when filing their petitions accordingly to make their application smooth.
Every application for an H-1B cap-subject visa has to be filed properly and has to be sent to the right office before the time mentioned in the selection notice expires. However, it should be noted that the necessity to make the filing is often set for a minimum of 90 days.
New H-1B Visa Fee Schedule
In the context of the constant change in regulatory methods, the USCIS has introduced changes in the fees related to the H-1B visa from April 1, 2024. This newer schedule of fees applies to all the petitioners filing registrations in order to make them qualify for selection. This fee adjustment is one of those sweeping measures that seek to have the application process of the H-1B visa application simplified and at the same time seek to make the cost of this visa reflect current trends.
A new form that the USCIS also made available for use by the petitioners is the Form I- 129 Petition for a Non-immigrant Worker version of July 2010. Applicants must ensure they are using the correct version of this form as using the wrong version will have an impact on approving process of the application.
Premium Processing and Fees
In addition to the fee changes, the following new rule was made for premium processing under which the fee for Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service has been increased. Hence, only those who will be seeking expeditious treatment of their applications should be concerned about this new fee requirement. Applicants are advised to also confirm the payment amounts because any wrong fee submitted will cause the application to be declined, though the fee is refunded.
