The White House has affirmed that President Joe Biden is actively working to enhance the H-1B visa process, address the backlog for green cards, and tackle other challenges within the United States’ legal immigration system. These efforts reflect the administration’s commitment to streamlining immigration procedures and ensuring fairness for immigrants and employers alike.
The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant work visa that permits U.S. employers to hire foreign workers possessing specialized skills for employment in the United States.
#WATCH | Delhi: On H1B visas, US Bureau of Consular Affairs Assistant Secretary Rena Bitter says, "… It was a big part of President Biden's trip here and PM Modi's trip to the US to make sure that we're doing everything that we can to support skilled workers in the US. They… pic.twitter.com/NUFYYftvfE
— ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2024
“One of the steps, if we look at the H-1B visa process, we have taken action to improve that and the process and backlog for lawful permanent residents (green card) who are eligible to become US citizens,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference on Wednesday.
She was responding to questions about the feeling among a section of Indian Americans that the president is not putting as much effort on addressing the woes of legal immigrants as he is doing for illegal immigrants.
On Thursday, President Biden will visit the southern border with Mexico in Texas. His visit aims to address immigration issues and gain firsthand insights into the situation at the border.
“Just last month, for example, as a part of our efforts to strengthen the integrity of our immigration system and reduce potential for fraud, the DHS published a final rule relating to H-1B visa,” Jean-Pierre said.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) introduced new myUSCIS organizational accounts. These accounts facilitate collaboration among multiple individuals within an organization, including their legal representatives.
A new organisational account is required to participate in the H-1B Electronic Registration Process starting in March 2024, the USCIS said.
“We are working expeditiously to address any technical issues that may arise for legal representatives whose accounts migrated when they logged into their online account on or after February 14, 2024, including impacts on cases other than H-1B filings,” it said.
The initial registration period for the FY 2025 H-1B cap will commence at noon Eastern on March 6, 2024, and conclude at noon Eastern on March 22, 2024.
During the FY 2025 initial registration period, prospective petitioners and their representatives, if applicable, must utilize a USCIS online account to electronically register each beneficiary for the selection process. Additionally, they are required to pay the associated registration fee for each beneficiary.
Notably, starting from this registration period, USCIS will mandate registrants to furnish valid passport information or valid travel document details for each beneficiary.
When registering beneficiaries during the FY 2025 initial registration period, it is crucial to provide the passport or travel document that the beneficiary intends to use for entry into the United States if issued an H-1B visa. Additionally, each beneficiary should be registered under only one passport or travel document.
USCIS will introduce online filing for Form I-129, In March and the associated Form I-907 specifically for non-cap H-1B petitions. Subsequently, on April 1, USCIS will commence accepting online filing for H-1B cap petitions and the associated Forms I-907 for petitioners whose registrations have been selected.
In February 2024, USCIS initiated Tech Talks sessions to assist organizations and legal representatives in navigating the new process. During these informative sessions, individuals can seek clarifications regarding organizational accounts and the online filing of Form I-129 for H-1B petitions.
The USCIS encourages all parties participating in the H-1B registration and petition filing process to attend these informative sessions. For further details and specific dates, please refer to the Upcoming National Engagements page.
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