As March 20 Fast Approaches, Where Do Your H-1B Cap Cases Stand?

Employers who employ international talent, including graduates of US university programs, have been preparing for the annual H-1B “cap subject” petition filing process since early this calendar year. This year, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) launched an Electronic Registration Process for the first time, requiring employers to pre-register their H-1B candidates and pay a $10 per-candidate registration fee. The registration period opened on March 1, 2020, and will close at noon ET on March 20, 2020. By this point in the process, with only two working days before the close of the period, employers need to verify and check that their H-1B registrations all reflect the status of “submitted” in the government database. This Legal Update addresses what actions employers should take to ensure their candidates are in the new agency system and key dates in the H1-B process.