USCIS to Conduct Second H-1B Visa Lottery for FY 2025

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced plans for a second lottery to select additional H-1B visa registrations for the fiscal year 2025. This decision comes after the initial random selection process in March failed to fill the annual cap of 65,000 visas.

This selection included electronic registrations for beneficiaries eligible for the advanced degree exemption. Petitioners with selected registrations during this initial round were allowed to file H-1B Visa cap-subject petitions from April 1 through June 30, 2024.

Need for Additional Selections

USCIS has now determined that additional registrations need to be selected to meet the FY 2025 regular cap numerical allocation. The agency will soon conduct a second random selection process to pick more registrations from the pool of previously submitted electronic registrations.

Petitioners with selected registrations in this second round will be notified and will become eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for the designated beneficiary.

No Second Selection for Advanced Degrees

USCIS confirmed that there will be no second selection for the advanced degree exemption, also known as the master’s cap. The initial selection and subsequent petitions received were sufficient to meet the FY 2025 numerical allocation for the master’s cap.

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Master’s Cap Included in Second Round

The second round of selections for the regular cap will include registrations that indicate eligibility for both the master’s cap and the regular cap. This ensures that all potential beneficiaries have an equal opportunity under the regular cap selection process.

Notification and Filing Instructions

Petitioners with selected registrations from the second round will find updates in their USCIS online accounts, including a selection notice with detailed instructions on when and where to file their petitions. USCIS will announce the completion of this second selection and notification process in due course.

For more information, visit the USCIS website or contact your immigration attorney.