H-1B Visa Rules Changed: Pay $10 Fees, Random Screening & More! 10 Things You Should Know

Trump has been fidgeting with the immigration norms since he has acquired his position as the US President. Everyday you hear news of how it is becoming more and more difficult to enter the States.

There have been new rules again, regarding the filing of H-1B petitions by the US Govt. So dutifully, here we are bringing in all the information related to this, to you.

Essential Parts of the New Visa Application Rule

Applying new rules, the US government has started H-1B visa registration process online while applications will be accepted from next month. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issues about 85,000 H-1B visas each year. Indians, mostly IT professionals take away around 70% of such visas.

• The electronic registration process for H-1B visa will start from March 1 and continue up to March 20.
• Companies applying for H-1B visa will first have to register electronically and then pay a fee of $10 for each applicant.
• The registration process requires only basic information about the employer and the employee.
• The details shall include beneficiary’s full name, date of birth, country of citizenship, gender and passport number, along with a job offer letter.
• H-1B visa applicants will now be randomly screened at the registration level itself, after which the USCIS shall notify the employer if their candidate has been selected so that they can file an H-1B petition within 90 days. 
• By streamlining the H-1B cap selection process with a new electronic registration system, USCIS is creating cost savings and efficiencies for petitioners and the agency, as only those selected will now be required to submit a full petition.
• The number of new H1B visas issued each year is currently limited to 65,000.
• An additional 20,000 H1B visas are available only to qualified foreign workers who have a master’s degree or higher from a US institution of higher education.
• The top 30 employers of the H1B programme are large information technology companies. It was observed that about 66% of the H-1B petitions approved in FY 2018 were for computer-related occupations.
• The new visa application process is expected to streamline processing by reducing paperwork and data exchange.