Stinson Immigration Attorneys Provide Guidance for Navigating USCIS H-1B Lottery Changes in Law360

03.06.2024

Stinson LLP Partners Elizabeth Chatham and Renée Mueller Steinle authored an article for Law360, "What Attorneys Need to Know About H-1B Lottery Changes," providing insight on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) new, beneficiary-centric H-1B lottery rules meant to bring fairness to securing highly competitive cap numbers and ensuring companies have the opportunity to recruit highly skilled workers.

The attorneys note for employers to exercise extreme caution when submitting multiple registrations on behalf of the same foreign national beneficiary and for petitioners to use the new tools in the USCIS web portal to verify they haven't submitted multiple registrations for the same beneficiary. The attorneys also provide insight on the new online registration process, eligibility for prospective H-1B workers and guidance to avoid overlooking lottery registrations.

"Assuming USCIS can cut down on the number of fraudulent and multiple registrations through the implementation of fraud prevention tools and higher fees, then over time, better selection odds will drive innovation in emerging market sectors previously locked out of the competition for highly skilled professional workers," the attorneys write.

The H-1B lottery registration went into effect March 6, 2024, and concludes noon ET March 22, 2024.

Chatham assists companies and educational institutions navigate U.S. immigration law and compliance. She provides tailored corporate immigration and compliance programs and works with clients to obtain temporary and permanent immigration options. Chatham also helps clients with individual consular processing and naturalization. Additionally, Chatham offers insight on this subject in a recent Maricopa Lawyer article, "Overhauled H-1B Lottery Promises Better Selection Odds."

Steinle's practice centers on corporate immigration, helping employers to recruit and hire talent by obtaining work visas and permanent residence for foreign employees. She advises on matters involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and has experience addressing temporary labor shortages through H-2B visas. Steinle also works with a variety of U.S. and multinational clients across a variety of industries.

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