The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the online filing for H-1B visa applications for the fiscal year 2025 (FY25) will commence in February. In addition, USCIS will introduce organizational accounts to facilitate online collaboration and submission of H-1B registrations.

The newly launched organizational accounts will allow multiple individuals within an organization, including the company or other business entities, along with their legal representatives, to collaborate and prepare H-1B registrations, Form I-129 (Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker), and associated Form I-907 (Request for Premium Processing Service).

According to USCIS, the availability of the organizational accounts and H-1B registration dates will be announced at the end of January. This development marks a significant step towards improving and streamlining the H-1B application process, making it fully electronic from registration to the final decision and transmission to the Department of State.

USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming changes, stating, "USCIS is always striving to improve and streamline our processes, and this is a big step forward. Once we launch the organizational accounts and online filing of I-129 H-1B petitions, the entire H-1B lifecycle becomes fully electronic."

Poorvi Chothani, managing partner of LawQuest, clarified that the H-1B registration process will solely be available online. Petitions can be filed either online through the petitioner's organizational account or its legal representative, or as a paper-based petition.

To assist organizations and legal representatives in navigating the new system, USCIS will conduct two national engagements on organizational accounts on January 23 and 24, along with several smaller sessions leading up to the H-1B registration period.

These sessions will provide an opportunity for participants to ask questions and acquire a better understanding of organizational accounts in preparation for the FY 2025 H-1B registration period and the launch of online filing of Form I-129 H-1B petitions.

In a separate announcement, USCIS revealed an increase in premium processing fees for H-1B and other visa categories, effective from February 26. However, further details regarding the fee adjustments were not provided in the current information.

The changes announced by the Biden administration last year aim to enhance the efficiency of the H-1B system while adhering to the legally mandated annual cap of 60,000 visas. The proposed adjustments focus on simplifying eligibility requirements and offering more flexibility to F-1 students, entrepreneurs, and employees of nonprofit organizations. Additionally, measures are being taken to prevent misuse and fraud, including prohibiting related entities from submitting multiple registrations for the same beneficiary.

With the introduction of online filing and organizational accounts, USCIS is embracing the digital era, streamlining processes, and ensuring a more efficient and secure H-1B application procedure for the FY25.