U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is slowly expanding its services online and H1B registration is one of them. From 2020, prospective petitioners should go through the initial electronic registration process. Among them, selected ones will receive an “H-1B Registration Selection Notice” from USCIS and they can start filing.
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In general, the process to file the H-1B petition online is not too difficult to navigate but there are things that H-1B petitioners should keep in mind for successful filing. To assist H-1B petitioners with successful filing, USCIS sent out the newsletter that contains the top two user errors that they noticed in the 2020-2021 H1B electronic registration period.
Given that whether you can continue to stay and work in the United States is dependent on the H-1B visa, it is critical to learn what are the most common mistakes that other H1B petitioners made. In that sense, this blog post will have a closer look at each one of the mistakes and provide good practices to avoid the mistakes.
Related blog post: 2021 H1B selection update: no more lottery, wage prioritization
Contents
Creating the wrong type of account
The first common mistake that 2020-2021 H-1B applicants made is that they chose the wrong type of account. It can be confusing because when USCIS users create an online account for the first time, they are given two options; 1. Applicant/petitioner/requestor (“I am an applicant, petitioner, or requestor”) and 2. Legal representative (“I am a Legal Representative).
However, when it comes to the online H1B registration process, the following option “I am an H-1B registrant” is added. H-1B petitioners who are planning to participate in the H1B registration process should select this option, even though they have attorneys or accredited representatives to submit the H1B registration.
According to the newsletter, USCIS explains what each account is for:
- Applicant/petitioner/requestor account; “I am an applicant, petitioner, or requestor”
- “Individuals use this type of account to prepare and file applications, petitions or other benefit requests. You cannot use this account type to prepare or submit H-1B registrations.“
- Attorney/representative account; “I am a Legal Representative”
- “If you are an attorney or accredited representative submitting H-1B registrations on behalf of a prospective petitioner, select this option. You will also be able to submit Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative.”
- Registrant account; “I am an H-1B registrant”
- “This is the account that a prospective petitioner must create in order participate in the H-1B registration process, regardless of whether the prospective petitioner will be using an attorney or accredited representative to submit the registration.”
Therefore, to submit H1B registration, make sure to create a “Registrant” account. If your employer or sponsor is taking care of the H1B registration process, they will have to create the attorney/representative account.
Entering the same beneficiary more than once
The second most common mistake that H1B registrants make is that they submit more than one registration per fiscal year. This can happen when both you and your employer submit the registration. In this case, you are having multiple entries and USCIS will remove all entries submitted for you from the submission process:
Once the initial registration period has closed, if the prospective petitioner has more than one registration submitted for the same beneficiary, we will remove all registrations submitted for that beneficiary by that prospective petitioner from the selection process.
Tips to Avoid Common Mistakes with H-1B Electronic Registration
To avoid multiple entries, the sponsor or attorney can download the CSV file of the beneficiaries list (refer to the image below). As CSV files can be open through Microsoft Excel, they will be able to remove duplicates. Also, it is good practice to communicate with the employer well in advance to avoid submitting registrations multiple times.
When you find that more than one registration has been submitted for you, it is important to correct that before the initial registration period ends. Detailed instructions to remove the duplicate can be found below:
- If you find out that more than one registration has been submitted for the same person and the initial registration period is still open:
- “You can go into your account and delete the extra submission(s) until there is only one registration for the beneficiary.” Please note that USCIS will not refund the $10 fee if you delete a duplicate registration.
- If you find out that more than one registration has been submitted for the same person and the initial registration period has closed:
- “There is no way to correct this error.” USCIS will “remove all registrations submitted for the beneficiary by, or on behalf of, that prospective petitioner from the selection process.”
This blog post had a look at the most common mistakes that USCIS noted in the H1B registration process during the last fiscal year (2020-2021). H1B registrants should select the right type of account and they should not submit more than one registration for the same beneficiary.
To find more information and news that all H-1B visa applicants should know, click the H-1B visa page.
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Related blog post 2: H1B visa 2021; Disqualified employers
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