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Welcome to 2020! On top of a new H-1B cap registration process, we are hit with a global pandemic that has taken a toll on everything from economic hardships to social lifestyle changes. While we have yet to understand what the future holds, H-1B Cap has always had the air of uncertainty and this year was no different.
As we wrap up the H-1B cap registration window, which ended at noon eastern time on March 20th, many employers may find themselves asking, what’s next? When do I find out if my applicant has been selected, and what are my next steps?
As of March 27th, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a temporary closure to all public-facing offices until April 7th, 2020. However, they are continuing work that does not involve the public. They recently announced they have received enough electronic registrations for H-1B Cap FY 2021, and they have randomly selected registrations among the applicants.
Registrations that are eligible to file a physical H-1B lottery petition with USCIS will be updated to accounts no later than March 31, 2020. At any time, you can sign on to my.uscis.gov and check the status of your registration.
There are three different statuses that you will see in your my.uscis.gov account:
- Submitted: If your registration shows a “Submitted” status, this means that your H-1B cap petition is under consideration. Please note that cases will show as “submitted” until the end of the fiscal year, October 1st, 2020.
- Selected: “Selected” status means that you can file an FY 2021 H-1B cap petition within 90 days, or by the end of June 2020.
- Denied: If your application shows as “Denied,” it means that a duplicate registration was detected, or a payment method was declined or not reconciled.
If any of your employees were selected, congratulations! You should hear from your legal representative shortly on the next steps to submit the H-1B petition once the 90-day filing window opens on April 1st.
If your employees have not received selection notices, we recommend discussing alternative options with legal counsel.
For more information, visit the H-1B Electronic Registration Process page.
Content in this publication is not intended as legal advice, nor should it be relied on as such. For additional information on the issues discussed, consult a Bridge-affiliated partner attorney or another qualified legal professional.
