H-1B visa registration for 2022 to begin on Mar 9, lottery results to be notified by Mar 31
Washington, Feb 6: The registration process for the H-1B visa application for the next fiscal year will begin on March 9 and the successful applicants through a computerised draw of lots would be notified by March 31, a federal agency has announced.
The notification by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Friday came a day after the Biden administration announced that it will continue with the traditional lottery system to issue the much sought-after work visa to foreign professionals.
The initial registration period for the fiscal year 2022 H-1B cap will run from 12pm ET on Mar. 9 to 12pm ET on Mar. 25. Prospective petitioners & representatives will be able to fill out petitioner & beneficiary information & submit their registrations.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
During the registration period, prospective petitioners and representatives will be able to fill out petitioner and beneficiary information and submit their registrations, the USCS said.
The agency said if it receives enough registrations by March 25, it will randomly select registrations and send selection notifications by March 31.
The successful applicants would be able to join their new jobs in the US on October 1, when the American fiscal year starts.
As mandated by the Congress, USCIS can issue a maximum of 65,000 H-1B visas in a year. It can also issue another 20,000 H-1B visas to foreign students who have completed higher studies from a US university in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.
The quick announcement by USCIS on the next year's H-1B registration process comes a day after it said that it is delaying the implementation of the Trump administration policy of allocation of H-1B through a wage and skilled based process.
The Trump era rule was scheduled to go into effect on March 9.
On January 7, the USCIS announced to do away with the traditional lottery system in deciding the successful applicants for the H-1B visas.
The USCIS had said it would prioritise wages to protect the economic interests of American workers, and better ensure that the most highly skilled foreign workers benefit from the temporary employment programme.
In a statement on Thursday, the USCIS, however, said that it is delaying the rule's effective date until December 31, 2021.
The USCIS can issue a maximum of 65,000 H-1B visas in a year. It can also issue another 20,000 H-1B visas to foreign students who have completed higher studies from a US university in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.
The initial registration period for the fiscal year 2022 H-1B cap will run from 12pm ET on Mar. 9 to 12pm ET on Mar. 25. Prospective petitioners & representatives will be able to fill out petitioner & beneficiary information & submit their registrations. https://t.co/WMyd2oLHWY
— USCIS (@USCIS) February 5, 2021
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Austrian police detain suspect in case of rat poison found in baby food jars on supermarket shelves
Vienna (AP): Police in eastern Austria say a 39-year-old suspect has been arrested after rat poison turned up in some HiPP baby food jars on supermarket shelves in central Europe.
HiPP, which recalled some of its baby food jars in Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic after the case came to light last month, said in a statement Saturday it was “greatly relieved” by the arrest, and would provide further updates as verified details come in.
The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office, under the direction of prosecutors, said a probe was launched after poison turned up in a baby food jar purchased at a supermarket in the city of Eisenstadt on April 18.
It said the suspect was being questioned, and that no further details would be immediately provided. The Burgenland public prosecutor's office has announced an investigation into suspected “intentional endangerment of the public.”
The Austrian Press Agency reported that an expert report on the toxicity of the poison was pending. A total of five tampered baby food jars were seized before they could be consumed, APA reported.
Authorities said previously they believe the tampering occurred in 190-gram (6.7-ounce) jars of baby food made with carrots and potatoes for 5-month-olds that were sold from SPAR supermarkets in Austria.
HiPP responded by recalling all of its baby food jars sold at SPAR supermarkets — which include SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR and Maximarkt stores — in Austria as a precaution. Vendors in Slovakia and the Czech Republic also removed all of the brand's baby jars from sale.
The company said the recall was not due to any product or quality defect on its part, and said the jars left its facility in “perfect condition.”
Police said a customer at the time of the discovery had reported that a jar appeared to have been tampered with, but no one had consumed the baby food.
