H1B Visa Lottery 2024: The H1B lottery is a random selection method that is used to choose the necessary number of H1B candidates from a wider applicant pool. A sufficient number of candidates must be chosen through the lottery to meet the H1B Cap of 65,000 for the Regular quota and 20,000 for the Master’s quota. Read below to get detailed information related to the H1B Visa Lottery like Highlights, H1B Visa Lottery Working, Eligibility Criteria, Lottery Quota, Registration Process, Processing Time, First Round, Second Round Lottery, Steps to Check H1B Lottery Results, and much more
H1B Visa Lottery 2024
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) uses the H1B visa lottery system to choose applicants who are qualified for an H1B Visa from the pool of candidates. There is a cap on the total number of visas that may be given annually. As a result, candidates are chosen at random from this pool by the Department of State. The results of the lottery will be made public on the USCIS website when it has been finished. This announcement, which typically takes place on April 1 of every year, is solely applicable for the specific fiscal year. As a result, you can anticipate the lottery results being released sometime in the first week of April 2024. Every year, tens of thousands of applicants from all over the world try their luck at being chosen by the lottery system. Yet, only a small number of applicants succeed.
H1B Visa Lottery Details in Highlights
Name | H1B Visa Lottery |
Managed by | US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) |
Selection Mode | Random Selection |
Lottery Result Expected Date | First Week of April 2024 |
Official Website | https://www.uscis.gov/ |
H1B Visa Lottery Working
The earliest a candidate may apply for the H1B Visa Lottery is on the first weekday of April due to a six-month pre-employment application limit window. Even if the annual registrations surpass the annual cap levels, the application window is still available for registrations for the specified period. Also, the choice is not made according to the first-come, first-served principle.
Eligibility Criteria for H1B Visa Lottery
Anyone intending to work in the US on an H1B visa must fulfill very strict standards for H1B visas to be eligible for an H1B visa. The eligibility criteria for H1B Visa Lottery are as follows:
- A legitimate job offer from a US company willing to sponsor the applicant is a must.
- For a visa application to be taken into consideration, candidates must additionally show that they have the knowledge, expertise, and experience required to properly carry out the job responsibilities stipulated by their employer.
- A minimum of a bachelor’s degree, or the equivalent in experience, and documentation of their suitability for the position.
- According to the criteria of the employment, applicants may additionally need to submit proof of their English language skills and complete a criminal background check.
- Moreover, applying for an H1B visa may also need you to have the credentials and authorizations needed to practice your profession. To practice as a doctor, for instance, a person must have a current, valid medical license from their home country as well as certification from the US Department of Education and/or a specific professional licensing board.
- Finally, an application fee is required of all H1B visa applicants to defray the costs of processing and reviewing their visa requests. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is in charge of deciding on visa applications, sets the price. It is very important to remember that all applications will not be reviewed until the cost has been paid.
H1B Visa Lottery Quota
- Regular Cap Case: H1B1 cap is another name for the regular cap case. A maximum of 65,000 new H-1B visas are issued per fiscal year. On August 23, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) declared that it had received more petitions than needed to meet the 65,000 H-1B visa cap. It also stated that there are sufficient petitions to meet the 20,000 H-1B advanced degree visa ceiling for fiscal year (FY) 2024, which starts on October 1.
- C/S Cap Case: Applications submitted by applicants from Treaty nations are designated as C/S cases.
- U.S. Master’s Cap: 20,000 visas are set aside for candidates who have earned a Master’s degree from an American university in the US (or a higher degree). The “Master’s cap” is what this is called.
H1B Visa Lottery Registration Process
After the closing date, the USCIS conducts a random drawing for the H1B visa. The application for an H1B visa must be submitted before the candidate can begin employment with the H1B sponsoring company. The steps and deadlines for the H1B Visa FY 2024are listed below.
Establish a USCIS Online Account
- On the online H-1B registration site, employers are required to submit one registration for each beneficiary they support.
- A USCIS online account must be created by February 21, 2024.
Registration and Fee Payment
- On March 1, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. EST, the registration system will open.
- The registration site must receive the registrant’s information from your company as well as a $10 processing fee.
- The $10 filing fee should be covered by the employer rather than the beneficiary.
Registration Deadline
- The H-1B registration filing process will end on March 18.
- Registrations won’t be accepted after that time.
Announcement of the H1B Visa Lottery Results
- On March 31, the lottery results will be announced. Starting on April 1, 2024, applications for selected candidates must be submitted.
Request Window
- The petition window remains open for 90 days following the announcement of the H1B visa lottery results.
Submit Organisation Information
- Employers or their authorized agents (immigration lawyers), as part of the lottery process, which hasn’t changed since last year, are required to provide precise, primary information about their company and the H1 B cap worker in question.
H-1B Visa Lottery Fees
Fee | Responsible for Fee | Amount |
Registration Fee | Employer | $10 |
Basic Filing Fee | Employer | $460 |
Premium Processing (optional) | Employer or Employee | $2,500 |
Public Law 114-113 Fee | Employer | $4,000 |
ACWIA Education and Training Fee | Employer | $750 (less than 25 employees) $1,500 (more than 25 employees) |
USCIS Anti-Fraud Fee | Employer | $500 |
Attorney Fee | Employer | Variable |
H1B Visa Lottery Processing Time
Due to the tremendous demand for the H1B Visa, USCIS has created three distinct processing routes, based on the urgency of the application and the location of the service center.
Regular Processing Time: The typical processing period for an H1B visa is between one and six months. One may anticipate that processing times will vary depending on where the service center is located.
Premium Processing Time: Employers who want to expedite their case can do so by submitting Form I-907 and an extra processing fee of $1,225 with the petition. An HI B Visa is promised with premium processing within 15 days of petition submission. USCIS is required to reimburse the additional expenses in the event of any errors.
Expedited Processing Time: The following situations are given top priority and are handled as quickly as possible. The employer is accountable for providing pertinent records to support the claim of urgency.
- If the applicant’s petition for an H1B visa is being processed slowly and is causing the US business to suffer significant financial damages
- In the situation of an emergency
- If the petition is from a US nonprofit organization and affects social and cultural values here.
- In light of the causes and motives of humanity
- If USCIS has an inherent interest in the petition
- The US government filed the petition, which has broad national implications.
H1B Visa Lottery First Round
From March 1 to March 18, 2024, USCIS accepted 483,927 H1B registrations for the Fiscal Year 2024. On March 25, 2024, the H1B lottery results were made public. The number of applications chosen in the lottery 2024’s first round, 127,600, was 40,100 more than it was in the previous year
- H1B FY 2024: 87,500 registrations were selected in the first round.
- H1B FY 2024First Round: 127,600 registrations were selected.
H1B Visa Lottery Second Lottery
For FY 2024, USCIS will conduct a second or third round of the H1B lottery. There won’t be a second H-1B cap lottery, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Although USCIS hasn’t made a public announcement in this regard, it is impossible to miss the fact that the agency has labeled all registrations for the H-1B cap that haven’t been chosen as Not Selected. This suggests that enough H-1B cap applications were submitted to USCIS in March 2024’s initial lottery round to meet the H-1B quota for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. It’s vital to remember that once a registrant is listed as Not Selected, it loses its ability to submit an H-1B petition for the specified Fiscal Year.
Steps to Check H1B Visa Lottery Results
To check the H1B Lottery Results, the user needs to follow the below-given steps:
- First of all, log in to the USCIS website
- The homepage of the website will open on the screen
- Click on the My Case Status option
- A new page will open on the screen
- Now, enter your case number
- After that, click on the Check Status button
- The statement “The petition has been selected in the lottery” will appear if your case number has been selected
- Now, check Your I-797 Form
- Use an H1B Tracker
- Now, check whether USCIS has Processed Your Fee Check
- After that, search for Your Receipt Number