On October 17, 2018, as part of the US Department of Homeland
Security's (DHS) "Fall 2018 Unified
Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions and Regulatory
Plan," DHS has announced the upcoming publication of a
proposed regulation requiring the pre-registration of employers
seeking to file H-1B petitions on behalf of applications subject to
the H-1B cap for the 2020 fiscal year. The proposed rule was sent
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on
October 17, 2018 and is expected to be published in the Federal
Register for public notice and comment by year's end.
The H-1B nonimmigrant visa category is one of the most popular
and allows employers to petition for highly educated foreign
professionals to work in "specialty occupations" that
require at least a bachelor's degree or the equivalent. Over
the past few decades, the H-1B has become integral to retaining
foreign graduates of US colleges and universities, especially those
with degrees in science,
