H-1B initial registration period to close on March 22

The initial registration period for the H-1B visas, the most sought-after by Indian IT professionals, for fiscal 2025 closes on March 22, a federal agency has said.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

The initial registration period for the most sought-after H-1B visas for foreign guest workers for fiscal 2025 closes at 12 noon Eastern Time (9:30 pm IST) on March 22, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said on Monday.

During this period, prospective petitioners and legal representatives must use an online account of US Citizenship and Immigration Services to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated registration fee for each beneficiary.

Online account users will also be able to collaborate on registrations and petitions with enhanced organisational account features in their online accounts, it said.

Form I-129, a petition for a nonimmigrant worker, for H-1B petitions and Form I-907, a request for premium processing service, are now accessible in USCIS online accounts, a media release said.

USCIS will begin accepting online filing of the forms for H-1B cap petitions on April 1. ''We will announce when online filing of non-cap H-1B petitions is available,'' USCIS said.