FY 2023 H-1B Season On the Horizon: H-1B Electronic Registration Period Opens March 1, 2022 Noon ET

The H-1B cap season for FY 2023 is almost here!

USCIS has just announced that the H-1B initial registration period for the FY 2023 cap is scheduled to open at noon ET on March 1, 2022 and will remain open until noon ET on March 18, 2022.

As our readers are aware, in 2020 USCIS implemented a mandatory H-1B electronic registration system for the H-1B cap.

Under this new electronic registration process, prospective petitioners (also known as registrants), and their authorized representatives, who are seeking authorization to employ H-1B workers subject to the cap, must complete an electronic registration process on the USCIS website to receive a chance at selection. The registration process is simple and easy asking basic information about the prospective petitioner and each requested worker.

The H-1B selection process will be based off properly submitted electronic registrations. Only those with selected registrations will be eligible to file H-1B cap-subject petitions.

That means that in order to have a chance of being selected, all prospective petitioners and their authorized representatives seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions for FY 2023, including for beneficiaries eligible for the advanced degree exemption, must first register during the registration period (March 1, 2022, to March 18, 2022) and pay the associated $10 registration fee for each beneficiary.

Registrants will be able to create new accounts beginning at noon ET on February 21, 2022.

Representatives will be able to add clients to their accounts at any time, but both representatives and registrants must wait until March 1, 2022, to enter beneficiary information and submit the registration with the $10 fee

Only petitioners that receive a selected registration may participate in the H-1B filing process.

When will the selection process take place?

If USCIS receives enough electronic registrations by March 18, 2022, they will randomly select from eligible registrations and send selection notifications of selection to users on their myUSCIS online accounts.

Important Dates

H-1B Registration Process Timeline

March 1: H-1B registration period opens at noon ET.
March 18: H-1B registration period closes at noon ET.
March 31: Date by which USCIS intends to notify selected registrants.
April 1: The earliest date that FY 2023 H-1B cap-subject petitions may be filed.

When will I be notified of selection?

USCIS intends to notify registrants and their representatives with selected registrations via their USCIS online accounts no later than March 31, 2022.

A registrant’s USCIS online account will show one of the following statuses for each registration:

Submitted:The registration has been submitted and is eligible for selection. If the initial selection process has been completed, this registration remains eligible, unless subsequently invalidated, for selection in any subsequent selections for the fiscal year for which it was submitted.
Selected:Selected to file an H-1B cap petition.
Not Selected:Not selected – not eligible to file an H-1B cap petition based on this registration.
Denied:Multiple registrations were submitted by or on behalf of the same registrant for the same beneficiary. If denied as a duplicate registration, all registrations submitted by or on behalf of the same registrant for this beneficiary for the fiscal year are invalid.
Invalidated-Failed Payment:A registration was submitted but the payment method was declined, not reconciled, or otherwise invalid.

H-1B cap-subject beneficiaries, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption, must have a valid “Selected” registration notification for that specific fiscal year in order for a registrant or representative to properly file an H-1B cap-subject petition. The status of registrations that are not selected as part of any initial random selection process, and not denied or invalidated, will remain as “Submitted.” Registrants and representatives that are not selected will not be notified until after USCIS has determined that they have reached the H-1B cap for that fiscal year.

Want to know how to register?

Please here for step-by-step instructions and more registration information.

USCIS will also be hosting a webinar on the H-1B electronic registration process and online accounts on Thursday, February 24, 2022, from 2 to 3 pm (ET). Submit advance questions to public.engagement@uscis.dhs.gov by February 8, 2022, at 12 pm with “H-1B Electronic Registration Process” in the subject line.

During this webinar, USCIS representatives will provide updates on the online account features for the FY 2023 H-1B Electronic Registration Process and address questions. To submit H-1B registrations online, prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners or their representatives must first visit my.uscis.gov to create a free USCIS online account.

To Register:

Visit our registration page
You will be asked to sign up for updates or to access your subscriber preferences; please enter your email address and select “Submit.”
Select “Subscriber Preferences.”
Select the “Questions” tab.
Provide your location, organization name and organization type (if applicable).
Complete the questions and select “Submit.”

We wish petitioners and their beneficiaries the best of luck!

Questions? If you would like to schedule a consultation, please text 619-569-1768 or call 619-819-9204.

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