US H-1B visas for foreign guest workers: Registration for fiscal 2025 closes soon

The registration period for H-1B visas for fiscal 2025 will close at 12 noon Eastern Time on March 22, according to a statement from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). During this registration period, prospective petitioners and their legal representatives must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically and pay the associated registration fee.

The online account also allows users to collaborate on registrations and petitions. Forms I-129 and I-907, required for H-1B petitions and requests for premium processing service, are now accessible in USCIS online accounts. 

Online filing of forms for H-1B cap petitions will commence on April 1. USCIS will announce when online filing of non-cap H-1B petitions is available. They are instructed to register and pay the registration fee electronically for each beneficiary, as announced by the federal agency on March 18.

The USCIS also mentioned that the announcement for online filing of non-cap H-1B petitions will be made later. The H-1B visa programme is undergoing significant changes aimed at strengthening the programme's integrity and reducing fraud.

From April 1, visa fees will be $110, up from $10. This is the first hike since 2016. Registration fees for H-1B visas have also been increased from $10 to $215. The FY 2025 H-1B cap introduces a lottery system to ensure equal opportunities for each beneficiary and to reduce fraud.

The US started a pilot programme for domestic renewal of certain work visas in 2023, allowing 20,000 participants to renew their visas. However, H1B employees' spouses can't renew their visas without leaving the country.

Starting with the FY 2025 initial registration period, USCIS will require registrants to provide valid passport or travel document information for each beneficiary. Some petitions subject to the congressionally mandated H-1B cap can now be filed with employment start dates after October 1 of the relevant fiscal year.

The final rule also allows USCIS to deny or revoke petitions where the underlying registration contained a false attestation or was otherwise invalid.

(With inputs from PTI)