The H-1B visa was introduced in 1990. Under this, the US allows foreigners to work temporarily in their country. The US government issues this visa only to foreigners who have work experience in specific fields.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the initial registration period for the fiscal year 2026 H-1B visa. Registration will open on March 7. It will close on March 24, 2025. During this time, one will have to apply for the selection process of H-1B visa. It is necessary to have a USCIS online account to apply. Registration fees will also have to be paid while applying the application.
What is the process?
Employers who need H -1B visa for their employees will have to create an organizational account to apply. The applicant will have to pay a registration fee. Those who want to apply for H-1B visa for the first time will also have to create an account. USCIS uses a selection process keeping in mind the need for the beneficiary. If USCIS finds a sufficient number of union beneficiaries by March 24, it will notify the user through his online account after selecting the union beneficiary.
Who can apply?
Under the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program, foreign workers are allowed temporary employment in special fields. For this, knowledge of the specific field is necessary. Also, the applicant must have a bachelor’s degree or higher. The final rules for H-1B visa from the Department of Homeland Security have come into effect from January 17, 2025. The US Department of Treasury has increased the daily transaction limit on credit cards for the FY2026 H-1B season.
When did it start?
The H-1B visa was introduced in 1990. Under this, the US allows foreigners to work temporarily in their country. The US government issues this visa only to foreigners who have work experience in special fields. These special fields include science, technology, engineering and maths. Many big technology companies use the H-1B visa. These include Infosys, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Google.
Last year, there were fewer applications
Last year, USCIS tightened its rules on multiple applications. This reduced the number of applications for the visa lottery. For the 2024 lottery, the agency received 4,70,342 applications, down from 7,58,994 a year earlier. This was due to a decrease in cases of multiple applications.
