The Process of Obtaining the H-1B Visa in 2022

The H-1B visa was created for those who want to legally work in the United States. It’s given to those international workers who’ve found gainful employment in the country. As with any formal documentation process, the H-1B visa process too is liable to change with the changing times. To help you stay on top of these changes, HiCounselor has created this short guide to the process of obtaining the H-1B visa in 2022. 

If you’re still looking for a job in the US, contact us and let our mentors put their job search skills to work for you! If you’d like to browse companies that help sponsor H-1B visas, you can use our free search tool. It let’s you narrow down your search according to your choices and gives you relevant information to help you connect with recruiters. You can also browse through our H-1B related articles here to arm yourself with more information.  

2022 H-1B Registration

If you want to submit a registration, the first thing to do is create an online account on the USCIS website. Keep in mind that the initial registration period for obtaining an H-1B visa in 2022 will open on March 9 at noon (Eastern Time). This registration period will last till noon on March 25. So, make sure you have time set aside on March 9 to create and complete your registration. 

If you’re registering yourself, you’ll have to create a “registrant” account within myUSCIS to complete the process. You won’t be able to add any further information until the initial registration period opens on March 9. If you’re working with a representative to register for an H-1B visa in 2022, you should review all the information they put in. There’s a non-refundable US$10 fee for the registration.

Types of USCIS Accounts

One of the major mistakes people make is creating the wrong type of account on the USCIS site. There are three types of online accounts to choose from. Make sure you select the right one for you. The first option is Applicant/Petitioner/Requestor. This account is for those who want to prepare and file applications, petitions, and other types of requests. It can’t be used to prepare or submit H-1B registrations. 

An Attorney/Representative account is used by those legal practitioners who submit H-1B petitions on behalf of other people. It’s also used to submit Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative. 

A Registrant account is the one that a prospective petitioner must create if they want to start the process of getting an H-1B visa in 2022. This is the account type to choose regardless of whether the petitioner intends to use a lawyer or representative to submit the registration. 

Avoid Duplicate Entries

Another very common mistake made by many workers is to submit multiple registrations in one fiscal year. According to the USCIS site, if a petitioner has submitted more than one registration for the same beneficiary, all registrations submitted by the petitioner for that beneficiary are removed once the initial registration period closes. 

To help avoid submitting your H-1B registration multiple times in 2022, use the tool on the USCIS site to download a .csv file. This can be used to search for duplicate entries. Also, find out if your company will be using attorneys to file their H-1B registrations in 2022. That way, you can coordinate with them before the petition is submitted. 

H-1B Registration Dates for 2022

Here are some important dates to make note of if you’re planning to submit an H-1B registration in 2022:

March 2: Petitioners and registrants can create H-1B.

March 9: H-1B registration period opens.

March 25: H-1B registration period closes.

March 31: Date by which USCIS intends to notify selected registrants.

April 1: The earliest date that FY 2022 H-1B cap-subject petitions may be filed.

Aug. 2: The earliest date that FY 2022 H-1B cap-subject petitions selected for the second filing period may be filed.

Nov. 22: The earliest date that FY 2022 H-1B cap-subject petitions selected for the third period may be filed.

Selection Notifications

USCIS updates the online accounts with statuses for each registration. Here’s what you can expect to see and what each status means:

Submitted: The registration is eligible for selection. Even if the initial selection process is over, this account is still eligible for selection in any of the further selection processes in the same year. 

Selected: This account has been selected to file an H-1B cap petition. 

Not Selected: This account isn’t eligible to file for an H-1B cap petition.

Denied: This notification means multiple entries were received for the same beneficiary and all registrations were marked as invalid. 

Invalidated-Failed Payment: This means that though a registration was submitted, there was some problem with the fee payment. 

We hope you found this article helpful in your quest to obtain an H-1B visa in 2022! If you’re looking for a suitable job in the United States, contact HiCounselor and have a chat with one of our helpful experts. You can also browse through some companies that help with H-1B visas here. This tool lets you narrow down your search options according to your preferences and gives you helpful recruiter details.