H-1B Visa 2025 Update: USCIS to Delete Applications from March 20 — What It Means for Applicants

H-1B Visa 2025 Update: 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.

The H-1B visa is a key pathway for skilled foreign workers seeking jobs in the US. The new system, introduced during the Donald Trump administration aims to make the process more transparent and efficient. As part of these changes, any records older than five years will be removed. For example, if a case was finalized on March 22, 2020, it will be deleted on the same date this year. Employers have been advised to download any records older than five years by March 19.

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Why Is USCIS Deleting Old H-1B Applications?

This reform comes at a time of increasing debate over the H-1B visa program. While major tech companies like Tesla and others support the H-1B visa as a means to attract global talent, critics, particularly from the America First movement, argue that the system allows companies to replace American workers with lower-cost foreign labor. The USCIS’s new approach aims to address these concerns by making the process more transparent and merit-based.

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March 20 is an important deadline for anyone involved in the H-1B visa process. Employers must download any older applications by March 19, or they risk losing valuable data. At the same time, applicants should prepare for a new, fairer system, though it will come with higher costs.

As the H-1B visa program undergoes these significant changes, the new system is expected to reshape how the U.S. attracts foreign talent. These updates could potentially benefit both employers and employees in the long run, creating a more equitable process.

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