Month: December 2023

On December 12, 2023, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the annual quota of 85,000 new H-1B filings for the FY2024 H-1B cap based on the H-1B registrations submitted in March 2023.

This means that any H-1B registration that USCIS did not select in the March 2023 lottery or the July 2023 lottery will not be eligible to file an H-1B cap petition this year. The next opportunity to sponsor an individual in the H-1B cap lottery will be in March 2024 for the FY2025 H-1B cap.

USCIS will send non-selection notices to registrants through their online accounts over the next few days. When we finish sending these non-selection notifications, the status for properly submitted registrations that we did not select for the FY 2024 H-1B numerical allocations will show:

• Not Selected: Not selected – not eligible to file an H-1B cap petition based on this registration.

We are looking forward to the next H-1B cap Registration period in March 2024! We are also keeping our eye on a new H-1B registration rule that will hopefully address some of the problems with the current H-1B cap registration process. Stay tuned, 2024 is shaping up to be an exciting year for H-1Bs!

In the ever-evolving landscape of workforce management, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced a revamped I-9 form. The updated form reduces the I-9 down to a single page and creates two new supplements, one for reverifications/ rehires and the other for preparers/ translators to use. One notable addition to the new I-9 form is the provision for optional remote document examination, offering some employers greater flexibility in the hiring and onboarding process. This significant change allows eligible employers to remotely review and verify a new hire’s I-9 identity and employment authorization documents, alleviating the need to physically examine the documents in person.  At present, only E-Verify employers in good standing can utilize this new optional remote document examination process. The traditional, in-person method of I-9 document review and completion remains available to all employers. For more information on the new I-9 and the remote document examination process, please consult the following resources:

• I-9 Central
• M-274 Handbook for Employers
• USCIS I-9 Resources
• I-9 Form and Instructions

As early as January 2024, a limited number of H-1B specialty occupation workers will be able to renew their visa stamps in the United States, as opposed to traveling to a U.S. consulate abroad. The H-1B domestic visa renewal pilot will initially be limited to just 20,000 participants and will allow H-1B holders to renew their visas by mailing them to the Department of State rather than traveling outside the United States where they may be subject to uncertain wait times to secure an appointment at a U.S. consular office before returning. A Federal Register notice with full details is expected to be published in December. The Department of State is also working to extend interview waivers for certain temporary visas and offer a digital visa for travel to the US, with the goal of improving efficiency and reducing the backlog for consular visa appointments.