U.S. agencies prepare for FY 2025 H-1B visa lottery

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is preparing to conduct a lottery to select H-1B visa beneficiaries, which will include a master’s degree cap for U.S. advanced degree holders. The FY 2025 H-1B initial registration period ends on March 25.

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.

The agency announced that it will notify all potential applicants for selected beneficiaries that they are eligible to submit H-1B cap petitions.

Because the demand for H-1B visas is far greater than the number available, U.S. agencies use a lottery system.

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.

Last year, there were more than 400,000 duplicate registrations out of 759,000 registrations.

USCIS filing fee for H-1B beneficiary According to reports, individuals filing L-1 petitions will increase by 70%, individuals filing L-1 petitions will increase by 201%, and individuals filing O-1 petitions will face a 129% increase.

H-1B visa submission location change

Starting April 1, USCIS will change the filing location for H-1B Form I-129 to a lock box. This means that H-1B and H-1B1 (HSC) Form I-129 petitions can no longer be filed at USCIS Service Centers.

Instead, all paper petitions must be filed at the USCIS lockbox location, including capped, non-capped, and exempt H-1B petitions.

USCIS emphasizes that any H-1B or H-1B1 (HSC) petition received at a USCIS Service Center on or after April 1, 2024 will be denied without a grace period. To avoid denial, petitioners must ensure that their petition is filed in the correct location.

also, USCIS launches new online organizational account “MyUSCIS” on February 28allows multiple individuals within an organization and their legal representatives to collaborate and prepare H-1B registrations, applications, and related Form I-907s.

USCIS also launched online filing of uncapped H-1B petitions on March 25, and selected applicants will begin filing H-1B cap petitions online on April 1.

Fee adjustments and new form versions

Additionally, USCIS reminds applicants that fee adjustments for most immigration applications and petitions will take effect on April 1, 2024.

Applications postmarked on or after this date must include the new fee and there is no grace period for filing a new version of Form I-129.

As USCIS transitions to lockbox and online filing of H-1B petitions, prepaid mail 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 regular mail. MyUSCIS account holders will also receive notification of case status changes via email or text message.

The postmark date of submission will be used to determine the correct form version and fee, and the date of receipt will apply to regulatory or statutory filing deadlines.