The United States plans to hold a second round of H-1B visa lottery
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will conduct a second random lottery selection for H-1B visas for fiscal year 2024. This move could benefit Indian nationals seeking H-1B visas.
In March of this year, the USCIS conducted an initial random selection of electronic registrations for the H-1B cap for fiscal year 2024, including beneficiaries eligible for the advanced degree exemption. Only petitioners with selected registrations were eligible to file H-1B cap-subject petitions during the initial filing period, which was from April 1, 2023, to June 30, 2023.
However, the USCIS has now determined that it needs to select additional registrations to fulfill the FY 2024 numerical allocations. As a result, a second random selection process will take place, and those with selected registrations will be notified accordingly. Once selected, these individuals will be eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for the beneficiary named in the selected registration.
The H-1B visa allows US employers to hire foreign workers for occupations that require specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or higher. The US issues 65,000 H-1B visas annually, with an additional 20,000 reserved for those with advanced US degrees.
Indians constitute the largest group of H-1B visa beneficiaries, accounting for approximately 75 percent of the total H-1B visas granted, according to the US government.
