Initial registrations for H-1B visas would start on March 1 and remain open till March 18, 2022, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said in a press release.

Petitioners would get to complete and submit their registrations online during this period. If enough registrations are received by March 18, prospective petitioners will be selected randomly and will receive selection notifications by March 31. 

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“USCIS will assign a confirmation number to each registration submitted for the FY 2023 H-1B cap. This number is used solely to track registrations; you cannot use this number to track your case status in Case Status Online,” the release, dated January 28, said.

The H-1B is a nonimmigrant classification for people who wish to perform services in speciality occupations involving technical or theoretical expertise. Indians receive nearly 70% of the 65,000 visas issued yearly, making them the biggest beneficiaries.

“Prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners or their representatives are required to use a myUSCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated $10 H-1B registration fee for each registration submitted on behalf of each beneficiary. Prospective petitioners submitting their own registrations (U.S. employers and U.S. agents, collectively known as “registrants”) will use a “registrant” account. Registrants will be able to create new accounts beginning at noon Eastern on Feb. 21,” the statement added.

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“Representatives may add clients to their accounts at any time, but both representatives and registrants must wait until March 1 to enter beneficiary information and submit the registration with the $10 fee. Prospective petitioners or their representatives will be able to submit registrations for multiple beneficiaries in a single online session. Through the account, they will be able to prepare, edit, and store draft registrations prior to final payment and submission of each registration,” the release said.

Under the H-1B visa, employers in the US can hire professionals from other countries, if they are unable to find suitably qualified American citizens. Those holding H-1B visas can only work in the US for the company that hires them. The visa was launched in 1990.

The US issues 65,000 H-1B visas annually, while 20,000 are kept reserved for US Masters’ degree holders.

Amazon, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and Cognizant were the top recipients of H-1B visas in the fiscal year 2021, according to a report by Hindustan Times.

Earlier in December 2021, the US temporarily waived in-person interviews for H-1B and other non-immigrant visa applicants for the year 2022.  The decision was taken in the backdrop of a spike in COVID-19 cases in the US and several other countries.