US announces second round of H-1B visa lottery for FY 2025; find out if you are eligible

Washington : Apna Punjab Media : As per the latest news reports, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has unveiled plans for a second round of random selection for H-1B visa applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2025. This decision follows the first lottery held in March, which covered both the regular H-1B cap and the advanced degree exemption, commonly known as the master’s cap. The initial lottery enabled selected individuals to file their H-1B petitions between April 1 and June 30, 2024. If reports are to go by, the necessity for a second lottery arises because the number of petitions filed during the initial period did not fulfil the numerical allocation for the regular H-1B cap. Consequently, there are still available slots for the regular cap, prompting the USCIS to conduct an additional selection from the pool of previously submitted electronic registrations. This provides an opportunity 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. The initial lottery sufficiently met the numerical limits for this category, so 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 specialised knowledge, such as science, information technology, and engineering. Major Indian IT companies, including TCS, Infosys, and Wipro, are significant beneficiaries of this program, utilising it to bring thousands of skilled employees to the US annually. Reportedly, each year, 85,000 H-1B visas are issued, with a substantial proportion allocated to Indian nationals.
Understanding the H-1B lottery system : – The H-1B lottery system operates to randomly select applications from a pool of eligible candidates due to the high demand and limited number of available visas. The process ensures a fair opportunity for applicants, given the cap on the number of visas issued each fiscal year. This system includes a regular cap of 65,000 visas and an additional 20,000 visas under the master’s cap for individuals with advanced degrees from US universities.The US Government annually issues 85,000 H-1B work permits. Out of these, 65,000 are designated for individuals in specialty occupations, while an additional 20,000 are set aside for those with a Master’s degree or higher from a US institution. Employers seeking to sponsor a foreign worker on an H-1B visa must submit a registration form that includes details about the employee’s qualifications, job role, and offered salary.