H-1B Visa Cap Season 2025 Timeframe
Summary:U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that the initial electronic registration for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 H-1B cap season will open at noon Eastern on March 6, 2024 and will run through noon Eastern on March 22, 2024. Beneficiaries of selected and approved H-1B cap-subject petitions will be eligible to commence employment in H-1B status in the United States on October 1, 2024.Important Dates of 2025 H-1B Visa Cap Season
February 28, 2024:
New myUSCIS organizational accounts began to allow multiple people within an organization to collaborate on and prepare H-1B registrations. Registration fee remains at $10.
Online filing of Form I-129 and associated Form I-907 for non-cap H-1B petitions became available as well.
March 6 through March 22, 2024:
The initial electronic registration for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 H-1B cap season will open at noon Eastern on March 6, 2024 and will run through noon Eastern on March 22, 2024.
If registrations exceed the available H-1B visas by March 22, USCIS will initiate a random selection process to fulfill the projected cap for FY 2025 H-1B visas. The process will be completed by March 31, 2024.
April 1, 2024:
USCIS will begin accepting online filing for H-1B cap petitions and associated Forms I-907 for petitioners whose registrations have been selected.
Following the initial selection, employers will have a 90-day timeframe to file H-1B cap petitions for the beneficiary indicated in the selected registration. The petition filing period is expected to commence no later than Monday, April 1, 2024.
From April 1, 2024, a new USCIS rule will increase fees for H-1B and other petitions. The Form I-129 filing fee for for-profit employers with over 25 employees will rise by 70% from $460 to $780 (excluding ACWIA and Fraud Prevention Fee), while the fee for non-profits and employers with 25 or fewer employees will remain at $460 (excluding ACWIA and Fraud Prevention Fee).
October 1, 2024:
H-1B cap petitions and advanced degree exemption petitions for the FY 2025 cap must include an employment start date of no earlier than Oct. 1, 2024. The petition must indicate a start date of Oct. 1, 2024 or later (and 6 months or less from the receipt date of the petition) or it will be rejected or denied.
