H-1B visa lottery process for FY 2025 ends, USCIS notification soon

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The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has completed the lottery process for the selection of beneficiaries for H-1B visas, including the master cap for advanced degree holders for the fiscal year 2025 (FY 2025).

The announcement comes after the initial H-1B sign-up period ended on March 25.

According to USCIS – the US agency that looks after the visa process – random selections have been made, and notifications are currently being sent to myUSCIS accounts.

“FY 2025 H-1B cap petitioners: Random selections have been made and notifications are being sent to my USCIS accounts starting tomorrow and over the next few days before April 1,” the agency announced on Twitter.

USCIS has assured potential petitioners that they will be contacted to confirm their eligibility to submit a petition under the H-1B cap.

Companies file more H-1B applications than the annual limit of 85,000, and USCIS uses a lottery to decide beneficiaries.

According to Forbes, in recent years, Indian tech professionals have dominated the H-1B cap-subject visa, securing about 70% of the 85,000 visas available, including a 20,000 master’s cap for advanced US degree holders. also includes.

In 2022, Indians secured 77% of the 320,000 approved H-1B visas. This year, USCIS anticipates approximately 350,000 applicants, Reduction due to new measures against fraud,

Interestingly, out of the 759,000 registrations submitted last year, more than 400,000 were duplicates.

USCIS has extended the registration deadline for H-1B visas for FY 2025 by three days. From March 22 to March 25 due to technical glitches,

Increase in fees for filing H-1B visa petition

USCIS also announced substantial fee increases for beneficiaries filing H-1B petitions – H-1B filing fees will increase by 70%, L-1 petition fees will increase by 20%, O-1 petition fees will increase by 20%, There will be an increase of 129%.

Starting from April 1st, USCIS will move the H-1B Form I-129 filing location to Lockbox,

This means that all paper-based petitions, including cap, non-cap, or cap-exempt, must be sent to USCIS lockbox facilities, not USCIS service centers.

It is important to note that there will be no grace period for H-1B petitions received at the USCIS Service Center on or after April 1, 2024.

Petitioners must ensure that their filing is made in the correct location to avoid rejection.

To streamline processes, USCIS introduces ‘MyUSCIS’, an online organizational account Facilitate collaboration between multiple individuals and their legal advisors for H-1B registrations, petitions, and related Form I-907 submissions.

USCIS informed petitioners that the fees for most immigration applications and petitions will change effective April 1, 2024.

published by:

Girish Kumar Anshul

Published on:

March 29, 2024