H-1B Filing · myUSCIS Platform
USCIS Organizational Accounts:
The Complete Setup and FAQ Guide
Since February 28, 2024, all H-1B petitioning employers must use a USCIS organizational account to participate in the H-1B electronic registration process and file Form I-129 online. The system introduced a structured collaboration framework — Company Groups and Legal Teams — that allows HR personnel, administrators, attorneys, and paralegals to work together on a single platform with clear, role-based permissions.
This guide walks through every key concept on the USCIS Organizational Accounts FAQ page with actual screenshots from the myUSCIS portal showing exactly what each step looks like.
What Are Organizational Accounts?
USCIS organizational accounts are the required online platform at myUSCIS for all H-1B-related activities. Launched February 28, 2024, they replaced the legacy H-1B registrant accounts. An organizational account is mandatory — without one you cannot participate in the H-1B electronic registration process or file Form I-129 H-1B petitions or Form I-907 premium processing requests online.
The accounts introduced three capabilities the old system lacked:
- Multi-user collaboration — HR staff, signatories, and legal counsel can all work within the same account structure on the same filings
- Invitation-based representative linking — attorneys are connected to company accounts via a digital invitation, replacing the old passcode "digital handshake"
- Fully electronic H-1B lifecycle — from registration through I-129 filing, premium processing, USCIS decision, and State Department transmission
If you held an H-1B registrant account from FY 2021–FY 2024, your account was automatically converted to an organizational account on your next login. Login credentials remain the same. Upon signing in, you were prompted to designate yourself as Administrator and set up your Company Group. New to USCIS? Go to my.uscis.gov and select "Organizational Account" — not "Applicant/Petitioner."
The Welcome Screen: Your First Decision
When a company employee logs into the upgraded platform for the first time, they see the "Welcome to Your Company Account" screen. This presents three options. The right choice depends entirely on whether your company already has a Company Group — and the decision matters because Company Groups cannot be deleted or merged once created.
When to use each option:
- Review Invitations and Requests — you have already been invited by a colleague to join an existing group. Do not create a new group if you have a pending invitation.
- Search for an Existing Company Group — always search first before creating. If a colleague already set up a group, request to join rather than creating a duplicate.
- Create a Company Group — use this only if you are the designated Administrator, you have confirmed no group exists for your company, and your team has agreed you should be the one to initiate setup.
Within a few clicks of logging in, any user can accidentally become the sole Administrator of a new, permanent, isolated Company Group. Groups cannot be deleted or merged. Coordinate with your HR team and legal representative before anyone logs in. The designated person logs in first and sets up the group; everyone else joins via invitation.
The Administrator Dashboard
Once the Company Group is created, the Administrator's home page shows three navigation tabs: My Company, File a Form, and My Representatives. This is the central hub for managing everything in your organizational account.
From the My Company tab:
- File a form — start a new H-1B registration or I-129 petition
- Manage company group — add or remove users, change roles, review pending invitations
- Cases tab — view drafts and submitted cases
- H-1B registrations tab — view all H-1B registration activity for the group
Inviting Users to Your Company Group
To add HR staff or a second Administrator, go to the My Company tab → click Manage company group → click Add user. Follow the three steps below.
Step 1 — Click "Add User" on the Manage Company Group Screen
Step 2 — Fill In the Invitation Form
Enter the invitee's first name, last name, and business email address. Select their role — Administrator (can sign, pay, and submit) or Member (can prepare but not submit). Click "Send request." Invitations are valid for 7 calendar days.
Step 3 — Track Pending Invitations
After sending, click the Manage invitations tab to monitor status. The table shows each invitee's name, email, assigned role, and expiration date.
Every invitation — whether to a company user or to a legal representative — expires after exactly 7 calendar days. Alert invitees to watch for the USCIS invitation email and accept promptly. If the invitation expires, you must send a new one from the Manage invitations tab. Remind invitees to check their spam folder if they don't see it within an hour.
Inviting a Legal Representative to Collaborate
Adding your attorney is handled from the My Representatives tab — entirely separate from the Company Group user management. This design keeps representative access distinct from internal company membership.
Step 1 — Navigate to the "My Representatives" Tab
Key rules displayed on this page:
- Once added, your representative can file H-1B registrations and Form I-129 petitions on behalf of your company
- Representatives can form a Legal Team with paralegals, who can then prepare registrations and forms for your company
- Each representative must file Form G-28 with every H-1B registration or form they submit on your behalf
- Representatives can only work on forms they start — they cannot view, edit, or submit forms your company group has started or that other representatives have filed
Step 2 — Complete the Invitation Form
Critical detail on the email field: you must enter the email address associated with the representative's legal representative account type in USCIS. If the representative has a personal Gmail or a different email than their USCIS account login, the invitation will not reach their account correctly.
Roles and Permissions
The organizational account system uses four roles — two in the Company Group (Administrator and Member) and two in the Legal Team (Representative and Paralegal). The official USCIS Roles & Permissions graphic below is the authoritative reference.
The most important distinctions in practice:
- Only Administrators and Legal Representatives can sign, pay for, and submit forms. Members and Paralegals prepare drafts but cannot submit anything.
- Only the Legal Representative can submit Form G-28 and set up/manage the Legal Team. Administrators cannot do either.
- Only the Administrator can add/remove people from the Company Group and modify roles. Representatives have no access to Company Group membership management.
- Interestingly, Representatives can set up a Company Group on behalf of a client (Scenario 3) — but once created, they cannot modify the group's membership or profile.
- All four roles can start, edit, and delete forms and view case status and notices.
The Legal Team can only work on forms they start — they cannot view or edit forms the Company Group initiated. The Company Group likewise cannot touch forms the Legal Team started. Before filing season, decide with your attorney who will initiate each form type and document that agreement. Parallel drafts of the same petition create confusion and waste time.
The Planning Imperative
The most consequential guidance USCIS gives about organizational accounts is this: plan your account structure before anyone logs in. Company Groups cannot be deleted or merged once created — this is permanent.
What to Decide Before Anyone Logs In
- Who is the designated Administrator? (USCIS recommends at least two for backup.)
- Who logs in first to create the Company Group — the company or the legal representative?
- Who from the company will be Members (HR staff who need access but not signing authority)?
- Has your legal representative been notified? Do they have an active legal representative account in USCIS?
- Who will respond to RFEs — the company Administrator or the representative?
Three Valid Collaboration Scenarios
- Scenario 1 — Company only: Administrator creates the group and manages filings internally with no representative linked. Suitable for self-filing companies.
- Scenario 2 — Company invites representative: Administrator creates the group, then invites the attorney from the My Representatives tab. Most common scenario for represented employers.
- Scenario 3 — Representative creates group: The attorney creates the Company Group on the client's behalf and invites the company Administrator to join. Common for law firms managing setup for multiple employer clients.
If three company employees each independently log in without a plan, each one creates their own isolated Company Group: "Group Jane," "Group George," "Group Sam." None can collaborate. None can be deleted or merged. The only remedy is to pick one group as the active one and permanently abandon the others. The entire problem is prevented by a 10-minute conversation before anyone opens a browser.
Technical Support and Key Resources
Route your issue to the correct USCIS contact from the start — using the wrong channel causes delays.
| If you need help with… | Contact |
|---|---|
| Creating or navigating a myUSCIS account | uscis.gov/file-online |
| Password reset, account lockout, PIN delivery, new access code | my.uscis.gov/account/v1/needhelp |
| H-1B technical errors — system errors, broken functionality, I-129 online filing issues | Email H1Btechsupport@uscis.dhs.gov — include: account email, error description, and console screenshot with URL |
| Suggest topics for Tech Talks or future organizational account sessions | Email myUSCISoutreach@uscis.dhs.gov |
| General account help not covered above | Send a message from your USCIS online account inbox |
| FOIA inquiries | Email FOIAPAQuestions@uscis.dhs.gov |
USCIS requires every H-1B tech support email to include a console screenshot. Right-click on the error screen → select "Inspect" → click the "Console" tab → capture a screenshot. Include the full URL from the browser address bar. Emails without this information cannot be efficiently diagnosed and will be delayed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete or merge Company Groups?
No. Once created, a Company Group cannot be deleted or merged with another. This is permanent and USCIS has confirmed there is no administrative workaround. If multiple groups are created accidentally, all persist. The designated active group continues to function; the others simply exist unused. This is the core reason USCIS urges planning before anyone logs in.
Can I still paper-file H-1B petitions after having an organizational account?
Yes — paper filing of Form I-129 remains available. However, paper-filed petitions cannot be upgraded to premium processing through the organizational account. If you want premium processing, file both the I-129 and I-907 online through the organizational account from the start. Paper I-907 filings remain available for paper petitions.
Can my attorney file H-4 applications concurrently through the organizational account?
Not currently. Concurrent I-539 (H-4 status applications) and I-765 (H-4 EAD applications) are not yet available through the organizational account. These must be filed separately through individual applicant accounts or via paper. USCIS has indicated the platform is designed for future expansion but has not announced a timeline for this feature.
Can a paralegal work with more than one legal representative?
As of FY 2026 enhancements, yes. Paralegals can now accept invitations from multiple legal representative accounts, allowing them to support more than one attorney or law firm within a single paralegal account. This was not available at launch in FY 2025.
What is the credit card limit for H-1B registration and petition fees?
For the FY 2026 and FY 2027 H-1B cap seasons, the Department of Treasury raised the daily credit card transaction limit to $99,999.99 specifically for H-1B registrations and petitions filed online through organizational accounts (up from the standard $24,999.99 limit). This waiver does not apply to other filings. For amounts exceeding this limit, ACH (bank transfer) is available — confirm with your bank that no ACH block is active on your account before relying on this payment method.
What happens if my legal representative invitation expires before they accept?
The invitation becomes invalid. You must go back to the My Representatives tab, find the expired invitation in Manage invitations, and send a new one. Remind your representative to watch for the USCIS invitation email (it comes from a no-reply USCIS address) immediately after you send it, and to check their spam folder. The 7-day window is strict and cannot be extended.
Does the applicant/petitioner account type work for H-1B filings?
No. The individual applicant/petitioner account type is for people filing their own personal immigration benefits. It cannot be used for H-1B registrations or I-129 H-1B petitions. Employers must use an Organizational Account; attorneys must use a Legal Representative account. These account types cannot be merged, so if you have an old applicant account and need to file H-1B, create a new organizational account.
Setting Up Your Organizational Account for H-1B Season
Account structure decisions made before registration opens determine how smoothly the entire H-1B season runs for your company. Our attorneys advise on organizational account setup, H-1B registration strategy, and I-129 preparation from petition through approval.
Request a Free Evaluation Contact the FirmThis article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Screenshots sourced from uscis.gov/organizational-accounts-FAQ. The myUSCIS platform is updated periodically — verify current features at uscis.gov before filing. Please consult with a qualified immigration attorney for advice specific to your H-1B situation.