Visa Lawyer Blog
Fresh off the press! In this blog post we will discuss a new proposed rule that is set to be published in the Federal Register on September 4, 2019. We have reviewed an advance copy of this proposed rule and will tell you everything you need to know about the new rule.
At a Glance
The proposed rule will require petitioners filing H-1B cap-subject petitions to pay a $10 registration fee for each petition they submit to USCIS for the H-1B cap selection process beginning with the H-1B fiscal year 2021 cap season.
Overview
As you may recall, on January 31, 2019, DHS published a final rule requiring petitioners seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions (including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption) to first electronically register with USCIS during the designated registration period (“H-1B registration final rule”).
USCIS stated that the new H-1B registration system would be implemented beginning with H-1B fiscal year 2021 to ensure the registration system and process work correctly.
Once USCIS implements the system and requires registration, USCIS will not consider an H-1B cap-subject petition to be properly filed unless it is based on a valid registration selection for the applicable fiscal year.
As part of the new system, DHS is proposing to amend its regulations to charge potential petitioners a $10 fee for each registration submitted for the H-1B cap selection process.
Because USCIS operations are funded by fees collected for adjudication and naturalization services, and USCIS must expend resources to implement and maintain the registration system, DHS is proposing a $10 fee for submitting H-1B registrations to recover those costs.
Public comments will be accepted from Sept. 4 (when the proposed rule publishes in the Federal Register) through Oct. 4.
You may submit comments, identified by DHS Docket No. USCIS-2019-0006, at the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.