US Visa: New rules in the H-1B registration and filing process!

H1B visa new rules and regulations

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has taken several measures to prevent fraud and improve the H-1B visa registration process. The key regulations related to immigration and H-1B came into effect on April 1, 2024. The new visa fee schedule will affect the cost of non-immigrant visa categories, including H-1B, L-1, and EB-5 visas, which are the most popular among Indians.

The $10 H-1B registration process fee will be raised to $215, a 2,050% increase and the petition filing fee for Form I-129 is now $780. This is in addition to the H-1B registration charge. There will be no grace period for submitting the new version of Form I-129 (This is the petition for the non-immigrant worker which would be filed by the petitioner.)

From April 1, 2024, USCIS Centers will reject H-1B or H-1B1 (HSC) petitions received and are no longer accepting Form I-129 petitions requesting H-1B or H-1B1 (HSC) classification.

From April 1, 2024, to June 3, 2024, the USCIS will accept early editions of most forms. USCIS will accept previous and new editions of certain forms filed during this grace period for the appropriate fee. However, there will be no grace period for the following new forms.

Form I-129, Petition for Immigrant Worker
Form I-129 CW, CNMI-only Petition for Non-Immigrant Transitional Worker
Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers
Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition (and Appendices 1, 2 and 3) and
Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as Immediate Relative.