We are approaching the annual H-1B Registration Period, the short window each fiscal year when employers can initiate employment visa sponsorship for qualifying employees who need it.
About H-1B Sponsorship: This nonimmigrant classification applies to people hired to perform services in a specialty occupation. Only 85,000 new H-1B visas are available each government fiscal year, and demand has been consistently higher than the available visas. Both the sponsored position and the sponsored worker must meet certain requirements to qualify:
The worker must have at least a U.S. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a specific field of specialty, from an institution accredited at the time the degree was conferred on the candidate;
The offered position must require and use the candidate’s specialty degree and specialized knowledge; and
The employer must pay at least the government-determined Prevailing Wage commensurate with the position’s education and experience requirements, and the geographic location where the candidate will be employed.
Now is the time to consider H-1B sponsorship for Fiscal Year 2023.
The process starts with an electronic registration period in March 2022, during which employers register with US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) and provide information regarding the foreign national they intend to sponsor.
At the close of the registration period, USCIS will conduct a random computer-generated lottery and will notify employers whose registrations are selected.
Selected employers are provided a window during which to prepare and file the full-fledged Petition for H-1B Worker with USCIS.
If USCIS does not fill all 85,000 H-1B slots during the first round of selection and Petition submissions, USCIS will conduct a second lottery and notify newly selected candidates later in summer 2022. If needed, USCIS may conduct subsequent lotteries.
Contact us now to get a head start on the H-1B Registration process, or to learn more about H-1B sponsorship.