USCIS has announced that H-1B Cap registration will start on March 1, 2022, at noon (Eastern) and will continue through noon (Eastern) on March 18, 2022.

If enough registrations to fill the cap are received by March 18 (which is likely), USCIS will randomly select registrations and send selection notifications through users’ myUSCIS online accounts. The intention is to notify all account holders by March 31, 2022.

Registrations can be done only electronically through a myUSCIS online account. The associated $10 H-1B registration fee for each beneficiary also will be paid through that account.

Registrations may be accomplished by the employers themselves or their attorneys (representatives). Employers preparing their own registrations are known as “registrants.” Registrants will be able to create new myUSCIS accounts beginning at noon (Eastern) on February 21, 2022. Duplicate registrations for a prospective employee will lead to rejections, so it is important not to duplicate efforts.

Attorneys/representatives may add clients to their accounts at any time, but both attorneys and registrants must wait until March 1 to enter beneficiary information and submit the fee. As in the past, multiple beneficiaries can be entered in a single online session. Draft registrations may be drafted, stored, and edited prior to final payment and submission of each registration.

Full cap-subject H-1B petitions, including for those who are eligible for the advanced degree exemption, may only be filed for beneficiaries selected through the online registration process.

The reasons for cap cases abound. For example, many cap cases are for F-1 students who wish to change status to H-1B. Others include individuals in such visa statuses as L or TN who wish to extend their time in the United States. The time to start planning is now!