The official registration of H-1B visas for the financial year 2023-2024 begins on March 1. The registration period will continue until March 17 this year. During this time, applicants will have to complete and submit registrations using the online H-1B registration system. The US government will announce the names of the visa holders by March 31.
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For this initial registration for H-1B visas, the US immigration agency will start charging $10 registration fees. On February 21, prospective petitioners can open new accounts, which are necessary for the application. Once enough registrations are received, the immigration agency will select a few and send out notifications by March 31. H-1B visas are used by American technology companies to bring talented tech workers to the US. Prospective petitioners can create new accounts, required for the application, on Feb 21.
What is an H-1B visa?
US companies use the non-immigrant visa, H-1B, to hire foreign workers for specific jobs that require theoretical or technical expertise. People can work and live in the US for up to six years in specialized fields such as engineering, medicine, and technology with this visa. This visa opens the way for permanent residence or a green card in the US after six years.
Thousands of employees from countries like India and China are hired every year by tech companies that depend on it. From March 1, the US Immigration Agency will start accepting applications for skilled foreign worker visas. Indian IT professionals and engineers demand this visa the most, accounting for about 70% of the new visas issued each year.
Key points about the selection process
According to USCIS, “if enough people register by March 17, registrations will be randomly chosen, and individuals’ my USCIS online accounts will be used to notify selected applicants. All registrations that were properly submitted during the original registration period would be chosen if enough registrations are not received,” as was quoted by the news agency PTI. The press statement added, “We expect to notify account holders by March 31.” In the upcoming weeks, the USCIS promised to make more information available.
Of the 85,000 H-1B visas granted annually, 20,000 are set aside for workers with advanced degrees from American institutions. The remaining 65,000 visas are given through a lottery system. Due to the increasing demand for H-1B visas, the process is also being simplified. There have been several proposals for program change in response to the strong demand for H-1B visas, with many supporting more visa availability and easier application procedures.
“For the FY 2024 H-1B cap season, the U.S. Department of Treasury has authorized a temporary increase in the daily credit card transaction limit from $24,999.99 to $39,999.99. The number of past H-1B registrations exceeded the daily credit card limit, prompting this temporary increase. Before the first H-1B registration period begins, further information will be made available, according to the government.
Only petitioners whose registration for the beneficiary specified in the H-1B petition, chosen during the H-1B registration process are permitted to submit an H-1B cap-subject petition, including a petition for a beneficiary who qualifies for the advanced degree exemption.
The H-1B program, according to its proponents, is crucial for keeping the United States at the forefront of innovation and technology worldwide and for boosting the economy of the nation.
Over 200,000 IT workers were laid off in the US
Since November of last year, approximately 200,000 IT workers have been laid off, including some record amounts at firms like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon, according to a Washington Post report published last week.
According to some business insiders, between 30 and 40 percent of them are Indian IT specialists, many of whom are in the US on H-1B and L1 visas.
If you have good talent and can not find a job in India, it is possible to get a job in an American company and continue living there with this visa. It remains to be seen whether recent tech layoffs in the US will affect demand for H-1B visas this year.
