The United States is likely to extend its H-1B visa deadline as users across the world are facing issues in completing the process.
In a tweet, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said, "Currently, some users are not able to complete the H-1B registration process. We apologize for any inconvenience & are working to fix the issue. We will extend the registration deadline. Stay tuned for more details.”
As per the USCIS website, the registration started from March 1 and will end on March 17, 2023.
“If we receive enough registrations by March 17, we will randomly select registrations and send selection notifications via users’ myUSCIS online accounts. If we do not receive enough registrations, all registrations that were properly submitted in the initial registration period will be selected. We intend to notify account holders by March 31,” the immigration agency said in a press note.
The H1-B electronic registration process requires registrants and their authorised agents who want to hire H-1B employees subject to the cap to complete a registration form that asks for basic information about the prospective petitioner and each requested worker.
The H-1B visa is a work permit that allows foreign workers to go to the United States and work for American companies. It is mostly used by tech firms to hire high skilled tech talent from other countries.
In order to register for an H-1B visa, one should make a USCIS online account and then use a “registrant" account within myUSCIS to further submit registrations. Post that, select the “I am an H-1B registrant" account type. However, registrants won’t be able to give more information until the initial registration period opens.
Registrants must submit their company’s details for the first H-1B registration. A nominal fee of $10 is required for every registration and it is non-refundable.
The USCIS operates on an October to September calendar, thus applicants chosen for FY2023 would be able to begin employment in October 2023.
Also Read: H1-B Visa: What is the 'drop box' facility and why is the US giving preference to it?