USCIS Completes H1B Visa Lottery for Fiscal Year 2025

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the conclusion of the lottery to select beneficiaries for the highly sought-after American H1B visas. Following the closure of the initial sign-up period for the fiscal year 2025 on March 25, USCIS confirmed the random selections and initiated dispatch notifications to ‘myUSCIS’ accounts.

The agency addressed a technical glitch on its website that led to a three-day extension of the application deadline from March 22 to March 25. Despite the delay, USCIS assured potential petitioners of their eligibility confirmation for H1B cap-subject petitions.

The H-1B visa program, with an annual cap of 85,000, frequently experiences overwhelming demand, primarily from Indian tech professionals who have historically secured a significant portion of these visas. USCIS anticipates a decrease in applications this year due to intensified measures against fraud.

To further enhance integrity and streamline processes, USCIS will transition the H-1B Form I-129 filing location to a lockbox starting next month, necessitating all paper-based petitions to be sent to USCIS lockbox facilities. It’s crucial to note that no grace period will be provided for petitions received at USCIS service centers on or after April 1, 2024.

USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou emphasized the agency’s commitment to enhancing integrity and efficiency in the application process, aiming for more equitable H-1B selections for petitioners and beneficiaries. The envisioned improvements will facilitate a fully electronic H-1B process from registration to the final decision and transmission of approved petitions to the Department of State.