H-1B Visa Beneficiary-Centric Process Starts March 6

Details on USCIS H-1B beneficiary-centric system

Beginning on March 6, applications for H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2025 will be accepted. The US federal agency announced in January this year a significant change to its yearly specialty occupation visa lottery.

According to USCIS, the first round of registration for the fiscal 2025 H-1B cap will begin at noon EST on March 6 and continue until March 22. Applicants and their representatives have until the end of this period to pay the registration fee and electronically enrol each beneficiary in the selection process using a USCIS online account.

USCIS changes to H-1B selection process

Employers in the United States can bring in foreign nationals with specialised knowledge and skills in theoretical or technical fields by utilising the H-1B non-immigrant visa programme. An employer-centric registration selection process is a feature of the new system. H-1B visa applications would thus be evaluated and approved on an individual basis, as opposed to the previous system whereby a single individual would submit numerous applications, leading to instances of abuse and fraud.

Updates on USCIS H-1B visa procedures

A beneficiary-centric selection process will be established by the final rule, including provisions to codify start date flexibility for specific petitions subject to the H-1B cap and to add more registration-related integrity measures. To cut down on fraud and give every beneficiary an equal shot at being chosen, the beneficiary-centric process will choose registrations based on unique beneficiaries instead of registrations themselves. This will happen regardless of how many registrations a given employer submits on their behalf.