In a big development for the future applicants of H-1B visas, the United States is said to have announced a second lottery for fiscal year 2025. This move has been resorted to in a bid to fill the regular cap numerical allocation, giving a fresh chance to all those who were found unlucky in the lottery drawn back in March 2024. However, there is a small rider to this—the second lottery will only be for the regular cap; there will be no further selections for the advanced degree exemption, also known as the master’s cap.
Another Shot for Regular Cap Applicants
The first random selection run in March 2024 saw the USCIS randomly choose from among the at least green card electronic registrations filed for the pool, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption. The number of registrations received in the case of the regular cap was insufficient to suffice for the allocation of FY 2025, hereby outreach for another lottery.
With this second selection, all the registrations submitted will be considered. This consideration would include all those eligible under the regular cap and those for the master’s cap who were not selected in the first round. This means even those applicants who were eligible for the master’s cap and did not make it in the first round still have a chance under the regular cap.
Details Important for Applicants
USCIS will indicate that they can file an H-1B cap-subject petition on behalf of the beneficiary of a registration selected in this second lottery. If selected, registrants will receive an update in their USCIS online accounts that will include a selection notice outlining details with regard to the filing process. The USCIS will shortly make an official announcement with relation to the completion of this second selection and the notification of selected petitioners.
The second lottery implications
The second lottery clearly indicates that the H-1B visas are in very high demand and the place of selection will be very competitive. As much as it offers a second chance to many aspirants, it is important to note that the advanced degree exemption, more popularly referred to as the master’s cap, will not have a second round of selection since the numbers for the FY 2025 numerical allocation were met during the first selection process.
For those selected in this second round, the journey continues towards an H-1B visa, with the steps to follow that include the filing of the petitions filed in the specified time period. As always, timely and accurate submission of required documents, and more, is critical for a successful application.
Again, the second lottery of FY 2025 is keeping many applicants happy.. Regular cap applicants have another chance, but advanced degree exemption people have to look forward to the next fiscal year. The development shows, once again, how dynamic immigration policies are and how up-to-date information must be.
