H-1B visa lottery selection for FY 2025: US agency USCIS is gearing up
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is preparing to hold a lottery to select H-1B visa beneficiaries, including a master cap for advanced US degree holders. This comes with the conclusion of the early H-1B sign-up period for fiscal year 2025 on March 25.
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,
The agency announced that it will notify all potential petitioners with selected beneficiaries, indicating their eligibility to file an H-1B cap-subject petition.
Since demand for H-1B visas far exceeds those offered, the US agency uses a lottery system.
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,
Last year, out of 759,000 registrations, more than 400,000 were duplicated.
USCIS Filing Fees for Beneficiaries on H-1B Petitions According to the report, there will be a 70% increase, while individuals on L-1 petitions will face a 201% increase, and individuals on O-1 petitions will face a 129% increase.
Change of place of filing for H-1B visa
Starting April 1, USCIS is changing the filing location for H-1B Form I-129 to lockbox. This means that H-1B and H-1B1 (HSC) Form I-129 petitions must no longer be filed at USCIS Service Centers.
Instead, all paper-based petitions must be filed at USCIS lockbox locations, including capped, non-cap, and cap-exempt H-1B filings.
USCIS emphasized that any H-1B or H-1B1 (HSC) petition received at a USCIS Service Center on or after April 1, 2024, will be rejected without any grace period. To avoid rejection, petitioners must ensure that their petitions are filed in the correct location.
moreover, USCIS introduces new online organizational accounts ‘MyUSCIS’ on February 28Allows multiple individuals and their legal representatives within an organization to collaborate on and prepare H-1B registrations, petitions, and related Form I-907.
USCIS also launched an online filing for non-cap H-1B petitions on March 25, with online filing for H-1B cap petitions scheduled to begin on April 1 for selected petitioners.
Fee Adjustments and New Form Versions
Additionally, USCIS reminded petitioners about adjustments to fees for most immigration applications and petitions effective April 1, 2024.
Should petitions postmarked on or after this date include the new fees, no grace period will be provided for filing the new version of Form I-129.
As USCIS transitions to lockbox and online filing for H-1B petitions, prepaid mailers will no longer be used for communications or final notices regarding H-1B or H-1B1 (HSC) petitions.
Instead, USCIS will automate the process of printing and mailing H-1B petition approval notices via First Class Mail. MyUSCIS account holders will also receive notifications of changes in case status via email or text message.
The postmark date of filing will be used to determine the correct form version and fee, while the received date will apply to regulatory or statutory filing deadlines.