Avoid Common Mistakes with H-1B Electronic Registration

The initial registration period for FY2022 H-1B cap has opened on March 9 and will run through noon (ET) on March 25. During this period, prospective petitioners and representatives will be able to fill out petitioner and beneficiary information and submit their registration.

According to USCIS and attorney feedback, following are the most common reasons for rejections of fiscal year (FY) 2021 H-1B cap subject petitions.

• Incorrect Start Date: If your selected registration was submitted during the initial registration period of March9 to March 25, you must indicate a start date of October 1, 2021 on your petition.


• Incorrect Fees: $10 for each registration. Each registration is for a single beneficiary.


• Incorrect Filing Date:Pay attention to the filing window identified on the selection notice. File your petition as early as possible within the 90-day window.


• Duplicate Entries:A prospective petitioner may only have one registration submitted per beneficiary per fiscal year.


• Wrong Type of Account:There are three types of USCIS online accounts:
  1.Applicant/petitioner/requestor account: Individuals use this type of account to prepare and file applications, petitions or other benefit requests. You cannot use this account type to prepare or submit H-1B registrations.
  2.Attorney/representative account: If you are an attorney or accredited representative submitting H-1B registrations on behalf of a prospective petitioner, select this option. You will also be able to submit Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative.
  3.Registrant account: This is the account that a prospective petitioner must create in order participate in the H-1B registration process, regardless of whether the prospective petitioner will be using an attorney or accredited representative to submit the registration.

Important Dates:
March 9: H-1B registration period opens at noon ET.
March 25: H-1B registration period closes at noon ET.
March 31: Date by which USCIS intends to notify selected registrants.
April 1: The earliest date that FY 2022 H-1B cap-subject petitions may be filed.

Selections will take place after the initial registration period closes, so there is no requirement to register on the day the initial registration period opens. For more information about the H-1B program, visit our H-1B Specialty Occupations web page.