The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has finalized plans to charge employers a $10 registration fee for each H-1B petition they submit for registration in the agency’s new electronic H-1B registration system. The final rule will take effect on December 9, 2019, and will be implemented once the system is operational.

DHS plans to implement the electronic registration system in time for the fiscal year (FY) 2021 cap season, which begins on April 1, 2020, assuming all system tests are complete. The agency has said that it will publish notice in the Federal Register once it has decided on the implementation timeframe and that it will provide “ample notice to the public.”