H-1B visa applications to be deleted starting March 20: Here’s what employers need to know

Beginning Today (Thursday) March 20, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is introducing a new system for the H-1B visa application process, and the Foreign Labour Access Gateway (FLAG) a crucial system for U.S. employers handling visa applications is removing previous applications.

One important avenue for foreign skilled workers seeking employment in the nation is the H-1B visa system. The Donald Trump administration is reportedly implementing the new approach to improve the process's efficacy and transparency.

The system will remove any records that are more than five years old. Therefore, the application will be removed on March 22 of this year if the case's ultimate determination date is March 22, 2020. By March 19, employers are required to download any cases that are more than five years old.

According to a report by the Financial Times, starting on March 20, all applications for temporary work conditions, including H-1B, will be removed from the FLAG system. Rather, a new application process that is marketed as more equitable and fair for all applicants will be introduced by the USCIS.

Under the old method, a single person may have applications from several employers. However, a more equitable approach that provides all applicants with an equal opportunity regardless of the number of employers filing for them will take its place in the new H-1B visa system.

To avoid repeated entries for the same individual, the updated system will choose beneficiaries rather than applications. Large organisations no longer have the advantage of being able to submit many applications for the same person under the old method.  Additionally, the registration cost will increase dramatically from $10 to $215 each entry.

The USCIS will now require online registration, which is another change. To help the USCIS accelerate the process, employers must register before submitting the entire H-1B petition.

Better staff selection equity and more effective application processing are two benefits of the new method. Employers will also incur higher costs as a result of having to pick their sponsors more carefully.