H-1B Visa's Initial Registration Period Opens Today. 10 Things You Must Know

Last Updated:March 07, 2025, 00:00 IST

The registrations of H-1B visa seekers are selected on the basis of unique beneficiaries under the beneficiary-centric process.

On March 7, the initial registration period for the H-1B visa opened and will continue till March 24. (Source: News18 Hindi)

The initial registration period for the H-1B visa for the fiscal year 2026 opened on March 7. The H-1B nonimmigrant visa program allows temporary employment of foreign workers who are in special occupations in which employees need specialised knowledge or degrees.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) stated that the initial registration period for the fiscal year 2026 H-1B cap will start on March 7 and continue till March 24.

The applicants will have to make a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically. A registration fee will have to be paid for every beneficiary.

Here Are 10 Things You Must Know About H-1B Visa Registration

1. The petitioners will use a USCIS online account to register every beneficiary electronically. A registration fee of $215 H-1B will be paid for each beneficiary.

2. Those H-1B petitioning employers who do not have a USCIS online account will need to set up an organisational account. The H-1B registrant account for FY 2021 – FY 2024 of the H-1B petitioning employer, which was not used in FY 2025, will get converted to an organisational account.

3. First-time registrants are free to create an account whenever they want. Representatives can add beneficiary information from March 7 and submit the registration along with the $215 fee.

4. The beneficiary-centric selection process will be used in the FY 2026 H-1B cap. As per the process, registrations are selected on the basis of unique beneficiaries and not registration. If sufficient unique beneficiaries are received by USCIS by March 24, they will select unique beneficiaries randomly and selection notifications will be sent to users through their USCIS online accounts.

5. The prospective petitioners seeking to provide employment to H-1B workers will have to complete a registration process which will require them to fill in the prospective petitioner’s and each worker’s basic information. Each fiscal year, the initial registration period lasts for 14 days. Those who will have selected registrations will only be eligible to file H-1B cap-subject petitions.

6. For the FY 2026 H-1B cap season, the U.S. Department of Treasury has allowed a temporary increase in the daily credit card transaction limit from $24,999.99 to $99,999.99. Transactions exceeding $99,999.99 can be made through an Automated Clearing House (ACH).

7. Only a petitioner, whose beneficiary was selected in the H-1B registration process, will be able to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for a beneficiary who is eligible for the advanced degree exemption.

8. The paralegals will be allowed to work with more than one legal representative filing for an H-1B visa in FY 2026. One paralegal will be able to accept invitations from various legal representative accounts. This will allow the representative accounts to prepare H-1B registrations, Form I-129 H-1B petitions, and Form I-907 within one paralegal account.

9. If registrations of fewer unique beneficiaries are made, USCIS will select all registrations for unique beneficiaries that were properly submitted. On March 31, USCIS is likely to notify prospective petitioners and representatives whose accounts will have the name of at least one selected registration.

10. On January 30, 2024, a final rule was issued by USCIS to limit the chances of fraud in the H-1B registration process and to ensure that each beneficiary receives an equal chance of selection.

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

News world H-1B Visa's Initial Registration Period Opens Today. 10 Things You Must Know