USCIS completes H-1B registration lottery, notifies petitioners

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today that it had completed the H-1B lottery after registrations exceeded H-1B quotas during the electronic registration period.

• Registrants’ online accounts will now show one of the following statuses for each registration.
  • Selected. The registration was selected to file an H-1B cap petition.
  • Submitted. The registration was not selected in the initial lottery but remains eligible for possible later selection.
  • Denied. Multiple registrations were submitted by or on behalf of the same registrant for the same beneficiary and the registration is invalid for this fiscal year.
• Petitioners may begin to file H-1B cap-subject petitions for selected candidates April 1. The filing period is expected to last 90 days.
• USCIS has not yet said how many registrations it received, only that it received enough to reach the H-1B cap, including the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap).

BAL Analysis: Employers should begin preparing to file full petitions for selected candidates. While the filing period will remain open for 90 days, employers should prioritize time-sensitive candidates such as F-1 students on cap-gap and others whose status may expire soon. BAL will continue to follow developments related to the H-1B cap season and will provide updates as information becomes available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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