Immigration Law Update

January 2020

New USCIS H-1B Pre-Registration Is Here!

From March 1st to March 20th, 2020, all employers seeking H-1B workers subject to the annual quota must register electronically with USCIS for a $10 fee. The registration will include only basic information about the company and the foreign national.

The H-1B lottery will then be conducted using only this simplified information, rather than requiring fully completed H-1B petitions. Those selected in the lottery will then have at least 90 days to file H-1B cap petitions with USCIS.

The immigration team at Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper can provide an initial case review and pre-registration for a flat fee of $250. Should your situation require more attention, for a fee of $500 we offer an in-depth eligibility analysis that addresses evidentiary issues and issues of H-1B approvability, plus pre-registration.

After careful consideration of which beneficiaries require this registration, please have the following information available:

Registrant Information:

Legal name of the prospective petitioning company or organization
The Doing Business As names of the prospective petitioning company or organization, if applicable
Employer identification number (EIN) of the prospective petitioning company or organization
Primary U.S. office address of the prospective petitioning company or organization

Beneficiary Information:

Beneficiary’s legal name
Beneficiary’s gender
Does the beneficiary have a master’s or higher degree from a U.S. institution of higher education such that the beneficiary is eligible for the advanced degree exemption under INA 214(g)(5)(C) and requesting consideration under the advanced degree exemption?
Beneficiary’s date of birth
Beneficiary’s country of birth
Beneficiary’s country of citizenship
Beneficiary’s passport number

USCIS has not yet announced whether premium processing will be available for these petitions. Please contact Karen Moss or Brad Ortman for more details.

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If you have questions or would like to learn more about the items discussed above, please contact Karen Moss or Brad Ortman of the Immigration Law Group at Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper via email or at (216) 621-7227.

Bradley L. Ortman and Karen Gabriel Moss
Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper LLC

_{This Immigration Law Update contains general information that should not be considered legal advice or legal opinion concerning individual situations. Legal counsel should be consulted for specific advice.}