March 25, 2021 is the last day to register online for the H1-B 2022 lottery cap. All employers have until noon to submit their initial registrations to USCIS if they want to sponsor a foreign employee to work in the U.S.
As it is the last couple of days left, it is largely expected that USCIS will receive a last-minute rush of online registrations. All applicants should be mindful of this and to avoid any delays and errors, ensure early completion and submission of their registrations.
H1-B Lottery 2022 Registration- Things To Do Until March 25, 2021
USCIS began accepting online registration of H1-B petitioners on March 9, 2021 for fiscal cap 2022. All sponsoring employers should put in their candidate’s name by March 25, 2021.
If you haven’t already done so, follow the steps below to register for this year’s H1-B lottery:
USCIS Account: Create an account in the USCIS online system. Accounts can be created until noon of March 25, 2021.
How To Create a USCIS Account:
To sign up on https://my.uscis.gov/ for the H1-B cap, you need to:
- Provide a unique e-mail address for the account
- Create a password
- Choose a method for two-factor authentication, either SMS, email or an authentication app.
- Answer some security questions
- Select the account type from the options: “I am an H-1B Registrant”
Reusing Older Accounts: Your company can use an account created last year as long as the account holder still remains authorized to sign registrations and the H-1B cap petitions for your company.
Important to note: If the employer wants to sponsor a beneficiary who was not selected in the FY 2021 cap, they must be re-registered for the FY 2022 cap. Previous registrations for unselected beneficiaries is null and void and do not carry over from one fiscal year to the next.
Multiple Accounts: Only one registration per H-1B beneficiary is accepted by USCIS. Multiple/duplicate registrations are rejected and that beneficiary won’t be allowed to re-register for this lottery.
Total Number of Registrations: A sponsoring employer may have unlimited registrations and sponsor any number of foreign nationals for the H1-B lottery. However, each registration can have only 250 beneficiaries.
Beneficiary Signature: The final step is for the H1-B beneficiary to electronically sign the H-1B registration and a Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney. Once the beneficiary signs, the registration is complete.
What To Expect After March 25, 2021
At noon, on March 25, 2021, USCIS will close registrations. Late registration is not permitted.
USCIS conducts the lottery to randomly select 65,000 registrations for the regular H-1B cap. Next, a second lottery will select registered “master’s cap” beneficiaries who will meet the H-1B cap exemption of 20,000 for candidates with U.S. advanced degrees.
USCIS will inform winners of the lottery by March 31, 2021 via email to the employer’s authorized signatory or immigration counsel. The online account will also be updated with a change in the status of a cap registration.
Starting April 1, 2021, USCIS will begin accepting completed, detailed H-1B cap petitions on behalf of the lottery winners. This will be open until June 30, 2021.
Stay tuned here for information regarding premium processing, changes in USCIS schedule as well the latest updates in H1-B 2022 cap lottery.
