USCIS Announces Second Round of H-1B Visa Lottery for FY 2025

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced plans for a second round of random selection for H-1B visa applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2025. This follows the initial lottery held in March, which included both the regular H-1B cap and the advanced degree exemption, also known as the master’s cap. Selected individuals from the first lottery were able to file their H-1B petitions between April 1 and June 30, 2024.

The need for a second lottery arises because the number of petitions filed during the initial period did not meet the numerical allocation for the regular H-1B cap. As a result, there are still available slots under the regular cap, prompting the USCIS to conduct an additional selection from the pool of previously submitted electronic registrations. This provides another chance for more applicants to be considered.

Eligibility Criteria for the Second Round

The upcoming lottery will randomly select additional registrations from those who had already submitted their electronic applications. This includes candidates eligible for both the regular cap and those who initially indicated eligibility for the master's cap. However, the second selection does not pertain to the master's cap itself, as the initial lottery sufficiently met the numerical limits for this category, and no further master's cap visas will be available in the second round.

About the H-1B Visa Program

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa designed for temporary workers in specialty occupations. It enables US companies to employ foreign professionals in fields requiring specialized knowledge, such as science, information technology, and engineering. Major Indian IT companies, including TCS, Infosys, and Wipro, are significant beneficiaries of this program, using it to bring thousands of skilled employees to the US annually. Reportedly, 85,000 H-1B visas are issued each year, with a substantial proportion allocated to Indian nationals.

This second round of selection provides an additional opportunity for applicants who missed out in the initial lottery, ensuring that the H-1B visa program continues to meet its numerical allocations for FY 2025.