US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is holding a second lottery for H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2025.
The first lottery happened in March, and employers had until June 30 to submit petitions for the 85,000 available visas. Only those who registered in the first round could participate in this second lottery.
Also Read – Mystery Solved: Indian Techie Found in US Park
USCIS recently announced that the second round of selection is complete, and selection notices have been uploaded.
They needed to select more registrations to meet the H-1B regular cap for 2025. The selected applicants have been notified and can now file an H-1B petition for their named beneficiary.
Also Read – Child Molestation: Indian Woman Arrested In US
Only those with selected registrations can file petitions, specifically for the beneficiary named in the notice. There was no second lottery for the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap), as enough registrations were already selected to meet that cap.
Petitioners must file correctly at the specified location or online within the filing period indicated on the selection notice, which will be at least 90 days.
Also Read – Massive $10M Drug Racket: Indians Arrested in CA
The correct fees and the new edition of Form I-129, effective April 1, 2024, must be included. USCIS also updated the premium processing fee, effective February 26, 2024.
This year, USCIS received nearly 480,000 registrations, fewer than last year. The new selection was made from these existing registrations.
The initial lottery aimed to fill both the regular and advanced degree caps. Since the advanced degree cap is filled, there was no second lottery for it, which is disappointing for MS students.
They now face more competition for the remaining regular cap slots, adding stress and uncertainty, and may need to consider alternative visa options or career plans.
You May Like This
You May Like This
