USCIS is proposing a new $10 fee to register for the #H1B lottery

[tacobell fan]

Employers seeking H-1B visas in next year’s lottery would have to pay an extra $10 over and above what they already pay under a new Homeland Security Department proposal.

The proposed regulation, released Sept. 3, would implement the fee to cover the electronic preregistration process for the annual visa lottery, which is run by the DHS’ U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Businesses already pay at least $1,710 or $2,460 per worker for the specialty occupation visas, depending on the size of the employer. Companies with high proportions of temporary foreign workers also must pay an additional $4,000 per H-1B petition, and many employers also pay an extra $1,410 for fast-track processing. The extra $10 is minimal compared to the other fees, which are projected to increase in the near future.

The USCIS says the preregistration process is intended to make the lottery smoother for employers, and is expected to save them between $42.7 and $66.8 million annually.

For the past several years, all 85,000 H-1B specialty occupation visas have been snapped up in the first week of April, the earliest employers can apply for the visas for the upcoming fiscal year that starts Oct. 1. H-1Bs, popular in the tech industry, are used heavily by companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Apple.

The preregistration process would allow employers to know whether they’ve been selected in the lottery before having to complete and turn in hefty application packages.

Timing, Input Concerning

Immigration attorneys and advocates aren’t opposed to the preregistration process in and of itself. But they’ve expressed concern about the timing and manner of the rollout.

An Aug. 16 letter from immigration and business advocates to acting USCIS Director Ken Cuccinelli asks that the agency both give a heads-up about whether there will be preregistration next year and solicit more public opinion before implementing it. The time and cost savings the agency expects from the process won’t be realized if employers must start preparing their applications anyway because they can’t be sure whether preregistration will be an option, the letter says.

The USCIS said in its Sept. 3 proposal that implementation could come as soon as next April. A separate notice will announce the launch of the electronic registration process.

The new process first was announced under a regulation issued in late January. That regulation also changed the order that the USCIS conducts the lottery in order to maximize the number of H-1B specialty occupation visas that go to workers with master’s degrees from U.S. colleges and universities.

Electronic preregistration, initially proposed by the Obama administration, was a top priority of former USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna. Cissna had wanted it in place for the lottery that was run earlier this year. However, it was waylaid by the Trump administration’s push to issue the “public charge” rule, which denies green cards to immigrants who have used or potentially will use certain forms of public assistance.

The public charge rule was finalized Aug. 12.

[snoww]

Maga

[Amrita]

Enni paisal kavali ? Already every year janalu paying for amendments extensions na bonda sardham pindakudu 

[JohnSnow]

1 minute ago, Amrita said:

Enni paisal kavali ? Already every year janalu paying for amendments extensions na bonda sardham pindakudu 

300k * 10 = 3 million. Guaranteed income as mana desi will keep on applying h1 no matter what happens. 

Recession kosam thatha marammathhulu.

[Hydrockers]

Mari 10 endi oka 1000 pettochu kada

[Amrita]

2 minutes ago, Hydrockers said:

Mari 10 endi oka 1000 pettochu kada

 

4 minutes ago, JohnSnow said:

300k * 10 = 3 million. Guaranteed income as mana desi will keep on applying h1 no matter what happens. 

Recession kosam thatha marammathhulu.

[Sreeven]

8 minutes ago, Hydrockers said:

Mari 10 endi oka 1000 pettochu kada

Slowga penchutaru..10 ni 20 chestaru next year

[megadheera]

16 minutes ago, Amrita said:

Enni paisal kavali ? Already every year janalu paying for amendments extensions na bonda sardham pindakudu 

Your employer should pay for those. Not you 

[Hector8]

mari cheap ga $10 endhi .... oka $1000 pettu kani approve cheyra @USCIS1

[DBgirl]

22 minutes ago, Amrita said:

Enni paisal kavali ? Already every year janalu paying for amendments extensions na bonda sardham pindakudu 

Abba free ga $$$ sampadisthu koda despite born on other soil ma desaniko 10$ ivalera me immigrants ani thata disucssing anta uscis head tho.

[xano917]

Yenni fees penchina manavallu apply cheyyadam manaru, supply demand 

[Amrita]

46 minutes ago, megadheera said:

Your employer should pay for those. Not you 

That’s not how consulting works . No one follows rules not just them but also us .  

[Amrita]

40 minutes ago, DBgirl said:

Abba free ga $$$ sampadisthu koda despite born on other soil ma desaniko 10$ ivalera me immigrants ani thata disucssing anta uscis head tho.

All the best for discussion 

[JohnSnow]

Just now, Amrita said:

That’s not how consulting works . No one follows rules not just them but also us .  

Some consultancies pays, but they deduct more dollars from the consultant without letting him know the PO. And raise h1 as if they are doing from their own pockets

[Sachin200]

Just now, Amrita said:

All the best for discussion 

Work start chesava