(Image source from: Moneycontrol.com)

In an effort to give chance to foreign workers who received masters or higher degrees from colleges in US, the administration announced a New H-1B System to attract new talent in the United States.

It also introduced electronic registration requirement for Petitioners seeking to file H-1B

“The new rule will go into effect on April 1, though the electronic registration requirement will be suspended for the fiscal year (FY) 2020 cap season,” USCIS said.

"The new smart changes are a positive benefit for employers, the foreign workers they seek to employ, and the agency's adjudicators, helping the H-1B visa programme work better," said USCIS Director Francis Cissna.

Earlier this month President Trump himself said in a tweet that “changes are soon coming which will bring both simplicity and certainty to your stay, including a potential path to citizenship.”

And, he added, “We want to encourage talented and highly skilled people to pursue career options in the US.”

Among Indian IT professional H-1B Visa System is very popular.

In this system Companies in United States employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields such as in IT, finance, accounting, architecture, engineering, mathematics, science, medicine, etc.

“Once implemented the new registration system, , will lower overall costs for employers and increase government efficiency”, he said.

Cissna said “USCIS is also furthering Donald Trump's goal of improving the immigration system by making a simple adjustment to the H-1B cap selection process.”

"As a result, US employers seeking to employ foreign workers with a US masters or higher degree will have a greater chance of selection in the H-1B lottery in years of excess demand for new H-1B visas," Cissna added.

Starting from April 1, USCIS will first select H-1B petitions (or registrations, once the registration requirement is implemented) submitted on behalf of all beneficiaries, including those that may be eligible for the advanced degree exemption.

“Changing the order in which USCIS counts these allocations will likely increase the number of petitions for beneficiaries with a masters or higher degree from a US institution of higher education to be selected under the H-1B numerical allocations,” a media statement said.

After the feedback, USCIS said “ It has decided to suspend the electronic registration requirement for the fiscal 2020 cap season to complete user testing and ensure the system and process are fully functional.”

According to the statement, “Only those whose registrations are selected will be eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition. USCIS expects that the electronic registration requirement, once implemented, will reduce overall costs for petitioners and create a more efficient and cost-effective H-1B cap petition process for USCIS and petitioners.”

-Sai Kumar