H-1B visa registration for fiscal year 2023 to begin from March 1 to 18: USCIS

What’s the H-1B visa latest news for international students? The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Friday that the initial registration period for the fiscal year 2023 H-1B visa cap would start on March 1, 2022 and remain open until March 18, 2022. Successful applicants will be randomly selected and notified via users’ myUSCIS online accounts by March 31, 2022.

The H-1B is a highly coveted work visa for many international graduates in the US. It allows employers or companies in the US to hire international graduates with a specific speciality (or its equivalent) to work in the country. The H-1B visa holder can only work for the sponsoring employer and enables international graduates to work in the US for three years at least.

USCIS said in a statement that during this period, prospective petitioners and representatives would be able to complete and submit their registrations using their online H-1B registration system.

An employer in the US who chooses to employ a foreigner will file for the graduate’s H-1B visa. To do that, the employer files for an H-1B petition with USCIS. 

Of the H-1B petitions approved in FY 2019, close to 72% of successful applicants came from India. Source: Sean Rayford/Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP

 H-1B visa latest news: Indian students among the biggest beneficiaries

H-1B petitions are often the only practical way for international students to work long-term in the US.

UCIS notes on its website that H-1B speciality occupations may include fields such as architecture, engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences, medicine and health, education, business specialities, accounting, law, theology and the arts.

The American Immigration Council said many foreign workers fill employment gaps in many STEM occupations. The US has a lottery system for its H-1B visa and is subjected to a mandated cap of 65,000; 20,000 are reserved for foreign professionals who graduate with a master’s degree or doctorate from a US institution of higher learning. 

Indians are among the biggest beneficiaries of the H-1B visa each year, followed by China. Of the H-1B petitions approved in FY 2019, close to 72% of successful applicants came from India.

Tech companies are among the US companies that sponsor the most H-1B visas. According to reports, among the companies that consistently sponsor the visa include Intel, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, IBM and Capgemini.