In December 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had completed pilot testing on an electronic registration process and that employers seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions for Fiscal Year 2021’s season – which will run from March 1st to March 20, 2020 – will now be required to use the new electronic registration process and pay a registration fee. The agency’s stated goal in creating the new electronic registration system is to simplify the annual process, reduce paperwork and streamline the exchange of data.
Employers seeking H-1B workers subject to the cap, or their authorized representatives, will now complete an electronic registration process that requires only basic information about their company and each requested worker. The H-1B random selection process, if needed, will then be run on those electronic registrations. Only those with selected registrations will be eligible to file H-1B cap-subject petitions. USCIS will post step-by-step instructions informing registrants how to complete the registration process on its website along with key dates and timelines as the initial registration period nears. USCIS will also conduct public engagements and other outreach activities to ensure registrants and interested parties are familiar with the new registration system.