February 2020

USCIS Announces Electronic H-1B Registration Process and Dates for FY 2021

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has conducted multiple webinars for an overview of the H-1B Electronic Registration Process for registrants and attorneys. The system requires employers to submit online registration to be selected for the H-1B lottery FY 2021. Following is the new timeline:

• If an attorney or legal representative is submitting registrations on behalf of a company, both the attorney and the company will need to create myUSCIS accounts.
• Companies may create myUSCIS “H-1B registrant” accounts beginning February 24, 10 am EST.
• USCIS has announced that they will open their initial registration time period for H-1B cap-subject petitioners for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY 2021) from Sunday, March 1, noon EST to Friday, March 20, noon EST. Cases will be included in the registration lottery regardless of when in that timeframe they are registered. Registration requires the employer’s name, mailing address and tax identification number, information about the authorized company signatory and authorized attorney, and the H-1B applicant’s name, date of birth, country of citizenship, gender, passport number and education level, including whether they have attained a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. university. Employers must pay a $10 fee for each registration.
• USCIS will select H-1B registrations between March 20 and March 31. Selection notices will be sent by the method selected when the account was created (email or text message). Additionally, a “selected” designation will appear next to selected registrants in myUSCIS accounts.
• The filing period for petitioners to file full H-1B petitions on behalf of selected registrants is expected to begin April 1 and run for 90 days. The agency has not yet announced whether premium processing will be available.

Setting Up a Registration Account on Behalf of the Employer/Registrant

Employers should prepare to have their authorized signatory create an account on my.USCIS.gov beginning February 24. CSG’s Immigration Group will be available to assist with the process.

Employer accounts can be created at my.USCIS.gov beginning on February 24, 10am EST, and until the H-1B cap registration period closes March 20, noon EST.

Below, you will find directions to navigate to the website and a step-by-step demonstration of how to create an online account. 

 

The system will then take you to the Two-Step Verification Method page.

 

Each organization will need to create a cap registration account for each Employer Identification Number (EIN) entity that will sponsor beneficiaries for the FY 2021 cap season.

The next page will direct you to the "Account Type" page, where you will select "I am an H-1B registrant", and this will create your account.

During the registration period, CSG’s Immigration attorneys will draft H-1B registrations in their my.USCIS.gov account as well as Form G-28, which authorizes the attorney to represent the company. The attorney will receive a passcode and provide it to the company’s authorized signatory. The signatory will then log onto the company’s my.USCIS.gov account and enter the passcode in order to review and accept the G-28 and the registrations. A G-28 must be submitted for each registration session. Each session may include up to 250 H-1B beneficiaries, but there is no limit on the total number of registrations a company may file.

The employer is required to review the registration application, electronically attest that the registration information is true and certify that they intend to file an H-1B petition on behalf of the proposed H-1B Worker if that registration is selected in the lottery. The attorney can then move to the next step and pay the registration fee and submit the registration on behalf of the company through the attorney’s account.

Once the registration period closes, both employer and attorney will be able to view the current status of the registration by logging into their respective my.USCIS.gov accounts. If a registration is selected, the status will change to “Selected” and a notification will be sent by the method selected when the account was created (email or text message).

USCIS has stated that it will provide additional videos and guidance on the new process. CSG’s Immigration Group is available round the clock to assist you and provide the most updated information about the new process.

For more information, please contact your CSG attorney or the authors listed below.