The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has concluded its lottery process to determine beneficiaries for H1B visas, including the master’s cap for advanced degree holders, with notifications set to be distributed starting tomorrow.
This development follows the closure of the initial H1B sign-up period for the fiscal year 2025 on March 25.
In an announcement made on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, USCIS stated, “Fiscal Year 2025 H-1B cap petitioners: random selections have been made and notifications are being sent to myUSCIS accounts beginning yesterday and continuing over the next few days prior to April 1.”
The decision to resort to a lottery system stems from a technical glitch on the USCIS website, which led to a three-day extension in the deadline for visa applications for the fiscal year 2025, shifting it from March 22nd to March 25th, 2024. USCIS has assured potential petitioners that they will be contacted to confirm their eligibility to submit a petition subject to the H1B cap.
The demand for H-1B visas consistently surpasses the annual cap of 85,000, necessitating the use of a lottery system to select recipients. Notably, Indian tech professionals have been predominant in securing H1B cap-subject visas in recent years, accounting for over 70% of the 85,000 visas available, including the 20,000 master’s quota for holders of advanced US degrees.
In 2022, Indians secured a significant 77% of the 320,000 H1B visas awarded. However, this year, USCIS anticipates approximately 350,000 applications—a decrease from last year due to intensified efforts to combat fraud. Interestingly, out of the 759,000 registrations submitted last year, more than 400,000 were found to be duplicates.
USCIS has also announced notable fee increases for beneficiaries filing H1B petitions:
H1B filing fees will rise by 70%.
L-1 petition fees will increase by 201%.
O-1 petition fees will see a 129% hike.
Effective April 1, USCIS will shift the H-1B Form I-129 filing location to a lockbox. Consequently, applications for H-1B and H-1B1 (HSC) must no longer be submitted at USCIS service centers using Form I-129. Instead, all paper-based petitions—whether cap, non-cap, or cap-exempt—must be sent to USCIS lockbox facilities.
Importantly, there will be no grace period for H-1B or H-1B1 (HSC) petitions received at a USCIS service center on or after April 1, 2024. Petitioners must ensure that their filings are directed to the correct location to avoid rejection.