US announces changes to H-1B visa application process to ‘reduce potential for fraud’

The United States on Tuesday announced a significant change to its H-1B visa process for 2025, intending to “strengthen the integrity of [the process] and reduce the potential for fraud.”

In a release issued on the official website, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said that “a final rule” has been added to the H-1B visa registration procedure, which is the first step in procuring the coveted visa which is used by lakhs of Indian tech workers.

As per the new rule, registrations for H-1B will now be selected by unique beneficiary rather than by registration. This means that employers will now need to provide valid passport information or valid travel document information for each beneficiary at the time of registration, along with the $10 fee.

“This new process is designed to reduce the potential for fraud and ensure each beneficiary would have the same chance of being selected, regardless of the number of registrations submitted on their behalf by an employer,” the USCIS said in a statement.

“The passport or travel document provided must be the one the beneficiary, if or when abroad, intends to use to enter the United States if issued an H-1B visa. Each beneficiary must only be registered under one passport or travel document,” it added.

Earlier, travel document details were required to be provided only in the later stages of the process. The new rule is aimed at culling out multiple entries of the same beneficiary into the “lottery process” which picks the allowed number of applicants from the total pool.

The new rule will come into effect from the FY 2025 initial registration period.

“We’re always looking for ways to bolster integrity and curtail the potential for fraud while improving and streamlining our application processes,” said USCIS Director Ur M Jaddou in the press release. “The improvements in these areas should make H-1B selections more equitable for petitioners and beneficiaries and will allow for the H-1B process to be fully electronic from registration, if applicable, until final decision and transmission of approved petitions to the Department of State.”

Registration for the 2025 H-1B visa will open at 12 pm EST on March 6, 2024, and will be available till 12 pm EST on March 22, 2024.

The H-1B visa is provided by US-based employers for specialised foreign workers with a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience. It is available for three years and can be extended to three more years. It is currently capped at 65,000 with an additional 20,000 slots for those with a Masters Degree.

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