Business Immigration Alert: U.S. CIS Announces H-1B Cap Registration Period Opens March 1, 2023

Employers seeking to secure an H-1B quota number must file a registration during the registration period to be eligible. To do so, please contact McCandlish Holton immigration attorney, Helen Konrad. 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“U.S. CIS”) has announced that the H-1B registration period for the fiscal year 2024 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern (GMT-5) on March 1 and will run through noon Eastern on March 17, 2023. During this period, employers can submit H-1B registrations using the U.S. CIS online H-1B registration system.

Employers Must Register to Be Eligible for the H-1B Visa Process

The H-1B is a very popular work visa for employers wishing to hire talented international graduates of U.S. universities, and for employers wishing to hire highly skilled technical and professional employees.  There is a limited quota of 85,000 H-1Bs that can be issued every year.  The March 1st through 17th registration period is the opportunity for employers to register to try to secure an H-1B quota number for international employees. 

Registrations Will Far Exceed the Annual Cap of 85,000 H-1B Visas

Each year, the U.S. CIS receives many more H-1B registrations than there are quota numbers available.  Last March, the U.S. CIS received over 483,000 registrations.  The U.S. CIS will conduct a random lottery to select 85,000 cases to process.  They plan to notify registrants who are selected in the lottery by March 31, 2023. 

McCandlish Holton's Immigration Practice Group advises U.S. and foreign clients on all aspects of obtaining U.S. work visas as well as the hiring and transfer of international personnel.