The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has completed the lottery process for H-1B visa beneficiaries, including a master’s degree cap for advanced degree holders in Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025).
This announcement follows the end of the H-1B initial registration period on March 25.
According to USCIS, the US agency responsible for the visa process, a random selection has been made and notifications are currently being sent to myUSCIS accounts.
The agency announced on Day
Fiscal Year 2025 H-1B Cap Applicants: Random selection has been made and notifications will be sent to myUSCIS accounts starting yesterday and continuing in the coming days leading up to April 1. — USCIS (@USCIS) March 28, 2024
USCIS has assured potential applicants that they will be contacted to confirm their eligibility to file a petition subject to the H-1B cap.
The number of H-1B petitions submitted by companies exceeds the annual cap of 85,000, and the USCIS uses a lottery to determine beneficiaries.
According to Forbes, Indian tech professionals have dominated H-1B capped visas in recent years, receiving about 70% of the 85,000 available visas, including 20,000 master’s degrees for U.S. advanced degree holders upper limit.
In 2022, Indians received 77% of the 320,000 approved H-1B visas. This year, USCIS expects approximately 350,000 applicants. Reduction attributed to new anti-fraud measures.
Interestingly, of the 759,000 registrations submitted last year, more than 400,000 were duplicates.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service has extended the registration deadline for fiscal year 2025 H-1B visas by three days. From March 22 to March 25, due to technical glitches.
Increased fees for filing H-1B visa applications
USCIS also announced significant increases in fees for beneficiaries to submit H-1B applications – H-1B application fees will increase by 70%, L-1 application fees will increase by 201%, and O-1 application fees will increase by 129%.
Starting from April 1st, USCIS will move H-1B Form I-129 filing location to lockbox.
This means that all paper petitions, including capped, uncapped, or exempt capped, must be sent to the USCIS Lockbox Facility rather than the USCIS Service Center.
It is important to note that there will be no grace period for H-1B petitions received at a USCIS service center on or after April 1, 2024.
Applicants must ensure their applications are sent to the correct location to avoid rejection.
To simplify the process, USCIS launches “MyUSCIS,” an online organizational account Facilitate collaboration between multiple individuals and their legal counsel regarding H-1B registration, petitions and related Form I-907 submissions.
USCIS is notifying applicants that the fees for most immigration applications and petitions will change effective April 1, 2024.
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