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What is H1B Visa Lottery? FY 2025 Process? Registration, Lottery Order?

If you are new to the H1B visa application process, many of you might come across terms like “H1B Lottery” or “H1B Registration Lottery”, which may seem completely new to you. This article covers everything you need to know about H1B Registration Lottery like its background, how the H1B lottery works, how is it related to registration, and common FAQs.

If you are new to the H1B process and not sure about what is H1B cap is, then read What is H1B Visa Cap? Masters vs Regular Quota?

What is H1B Visa Lottery? Random Selection?

When you look at the term lottery, it is very misleading for new people. I have seen questions from users asking, “where should I buy H1B Visa 2025 lottery ticket? I want to get H1B…”   Firstly, there is nothing like buying a lottery ticket for an H1B visa. You cannot buy any H1B lottery ticket.  It is just the terminology that is used to indicate the “random selection” process used by USCIS.

The H1B lottery is nothing but a “random selection process” used to select the required number of H1B applicants from a larger pool of applicants. The lottery selection is done to select enough applicants to meet the H1B Cap of 65,000 for the Regular quota and 20,000 for the master’s quota.

Origin of term H1B Lottery: USCIS originally called the H1B lottery process officially “computer-generated random selection processes”, which was back in 2007…as time progressed and people have started to embrace the colloquial word called “Lottery” for the same…You can see that USCIS has embraced the same and say “computer-generated process, also known as the lottery“, in recent years, including this year’s, press release as it is easily understood and many can relate to it.

Why do we have H1B Visa Lottery? Is it mandatory to have a Lottery?

The H1B Lottery situation arises due to the availability of a fixed number of H1B visa slots (total of around 85K) per year for new applicants. If more than 85,000 applicants are applying for H1B in a year, then USCIS needs a way to select applications or registrations to fill those 85,000 slots.

In such scenarios, where there are more than 85,000 registrations/ applications filed with USCIS, USCIS conduts random selection, aka H1B Lottery, to meet the H1B cap quota of 85,000 slots.

If you look at history, we had the H1B visa lottery situation for Fiscal Year(FY) 2008 and FY 2009 as there were more petitions received by USCIS. After that, there was no lottery situation for the next 4 fiscal years. Again the demand for H1B Visas increased in FY 2014, leading to the lottery. Since then, we had the H1B lottery for the past consecutive 11 years, including the previous fiscal year 2024. Read History of H1B Cap Reach Dates from 2000 to 2024 for more info.

How many times does USCIS Conduct an H1B Lottery? First Round vs. Second Round?

USCIS runs the initial H1B lottery and selects a certain count of H1B registrations based on past history. As per the Congress-mandated H1B cap, they need to select enough registrations to meet the 85,000 annual cap.

USCIS always selects more H1B registrations than the H1B cap of 85,000. The reason for that is that they need to factor in the denials, non-filings, revoke, etc. So, based on past history, they select a percentage of H1B registrations that is more than the required H1B cap.

The table below summarizes how much of an additional percentage of H1B registrations are selected by USCIS and how many rounds of the H1B lottery were run to select the same.

Cap Fiscal YearTotal RegistrationsSelectionsPercentage more
than H1B Cap
How many Rounds
of H1B Lottery
2021274,237124,41546.37%Two Rounds
2022308,613131,92455.20%Three Rounds
2023483,927127,60050.12%One Round Only
2024780,884188,400121.65%Two Rounds

For the most recent fiscal year, USCIS received about 781K H1B Registrations for FY 2024. There was no third round lottery for FY 2024, but before that for FY 2022, they had three rounds of the lottery.

H1B Lottery Process before Online Registration System

In the past, until FY 2020 season (that ended in April 2019), employers had to submit the entire H1B petition package within the first 5 days, starting from April 1st to be considered for the H1B Lottery. For the H1B petitions received, they would tag each petition with a number and use a computer-generated random selection to pick the required number of petitions to meet the cap.

The H1B applicant information from the physical H1B packages was fed into the USCIS online system and then a lottery or random selection was done. This changed in FY 2021 season with the introduction of the Online Registration System. Let’s look at that online registration process in detail next section.

News: H1B FY 2025 Season is from March 6th, 2024, and ends on March 22nd, 2024. Check article H1B Visa FY 2024 Dates and Results Timeline

H1B Lottery Process with Online Registration System

Starting from H1B Fiscal Year 2021 (March 2020), USCIS introduced the Online H1B Registration Process, where the complete paper-based submission process of H1B petitions for lottery selection was removed. Instead of that, they introduced a simple lightweight online process to register an applicant, whom they wish to sponsor H1B for the upcoming fiscal year. USCIS will use that details to run the computer-generated random selection or lottery to pick the candidates who can submit the actual H1B Petition with USCIS.

In the new H1B registration process, employers would submit basic details of the H1B Applicants in an Online H1B Registration Tool. When registrations are created, there is a long 19-digit number that is generated by the system called a “Beneficiary Confirmation Number“. That number is used for internal tracking and by USCIS to run the H1B Lottery. It cannot be used to check the status of the H1B registration online. The process of running a random selection or lottery is fully electronic.

You can see the below screenshot of the H1B Registration Selection notice that has the Beneficiary Confirmation Number.

H1B Registration Confirmation Number - Sample Selection Notice
H1B Registration Selected Notice in Lottery – Beneficiary Confirmation Number

H1B Lottery Process for FY 2025 Season

The H1B Lottery process for the H1B Visa 2025 Season has changed and different from previous FY 2024 season. USCIS Published a final rule indicating that the new H1B Lottery Selection will be based on a unique beneficiary identifier instead of the H1B registration.

As part of the new lottery process, applicants are required to submit their ‘Passport’ or ‘Travel Document‘ information. The unique number of the ‘Passport’ or the ‘Travel Document’ will be used to run the H1B Lottery.

Even if the H1B applicant has multiple offers and submits multiple registrations, they will be treated as one entry for the H1B lottery based on the unique passport or travel document number.

The below diagram explains how the H1B Lottery would work for an applicant with four job offers, submitting four H1B registrations, during the FY 2025 season. As per the new process, the applicant is counted only once for the lottery as the Passport number is used as the primary selection criteria. You can read full details of the new process in the article: Summary of New H1B Lottery Process from FY 2025.

Current and New H1B Lottery from 2025 Explained
Current and New H1B Lottery from 2025 Explained

H1B Lottery based on Wage Levels Not Applicable for FY 2025 Season: DHS published a final rule in January 2021 stating that they would conduct the H1B Lottery based on H1B Wage Levels. But, a court case was filed in October 2020 challenging this rule, and eventually, in September 2021, the court canceled the H1B Lottery based on the Wage Levels Rule. USCIS Officially withdrew the rule from Federal Register in December 2021. 

H1B Lottery Order: Regular vs Masters Quota

USCIS will select enough registrations to fill the total annual H1B cap, which is about 65,000 for the Regular cap and 20,000 for the US Master’s cap. The order of the H1B Lottery is very critical as it will define the probability of getting selected.

Update: If you have applied for the H1B FY 2025 season and wondering about checking H1B 2025 Lottery Results, they are out. For more info, you can read the article H1B 2025 Lottery Results and Sample Notice.

H1B Lottery Order with H1B Registration Process for FY 2025

DHS went through the 9 Steps of the Federal rule-making process and published the H1B registration rule that included the change in the H1B lottery process a few years ago, where the order of the lottery changed.

Below is the current process for how the H1B lottery selection is run, including the order of selections starting from the FY 2020 season (March 2019):

  • Step 1 Lottery on Entire Pool: The first lottery selection is conducted on the entire pool of H1B registrations to select the required number of registrations to fill the regular quota cap of 65,000.
  • Step 2 Lottery for US Masters: The unselected US Masters’ quota registrations from that entire pool are taken out and then a lottery is run again on them to select the required number of registrations to fill the US masters’ quota cap of 20,000.
  • Step 3Notifications to Selected: The selected H1B registrations from both the regular quota and master’s quota cap are notified so that they can file the H1B petitions with USCIS.
  • Step 4Reserve Pool for Future: The unselected H1B applicants from both Step 1 and Step 2 are placed in a reserve pool to conduct the second-round or third-round lottery as needed if applicants selected in the first round do not file enough petitions to meet the annual cap of 85,000.

H1B Visa 2025 Tracker: To help the community, we have partnered with VisaGrader to build an Anonymous H1B Visa Tracker for FY 2025. Use H1B Visa 2025 Tracker to add your case for community benefit and your benefit.

Below is the full flow chart on how the lottery works with the order.

H1B Visa Registration Process Lottery Order and Process Diagram Flow
H1B Visa Registration Process Lottery Order and Process Diagram Flow

In the past, before FY 2020, the lottery order was different. You can read the below to get an understanding of the same for some perspective on why the order got changed.

Previous H1B Lottery Order before FY 2020:

  • In the past, before FY 2020, the random selection aka H1B lottery was first conducted for the Master’s quota and then the unselected petitions from the master’s quota were put down in the general quota pool and a random selection algorithm was run for the general quota cap. 
  • Starting from H1B FY 2020 Season (March 2019), to give more priority to US Masters students, USCIS changed the order of the lottery, when they got the H1b Registration Process regulation implemented. Let’s look at the order of the lottery in detail.

US Masters Students Advantages with H1B Registration System

USCIS says that individuals with US master’ degrees earn 19.6 percent more than individuals with bachelor’s degrees. So, the reversal of lottery selection will ensure that higher-paid and most skilled ones are working in the US on H1Bs.

The change in lottery order will result in 16% ( about 5,340 more) more US Masters students being selected for H1B petition filings. DHS believes that the new rule is merit-based as the new lottery order will increase US masters students getting H1Bs.

Let’s summarize the current H1B Registration Process with Lottery for easy understanding.

If you are applying for H1B 2025, read the analysis: H1B Visa 2025 Lottery Predictions, Analysis – How Many?

Step by Step H1B Registration Process with Lottery Order 

  • Step 1 – Pool of Potential Hires for H1B Sponsoring: Employers interested in sponsoring H1B for individuals they intend to hire will need to first electronically register the individuals with USCIS during the specified registration period as given by USCIS.
  • Step 2 – Registration of H1B Applicants: Employers will get at least 14 days ( 17 days for FY 2024 from March 1st, to March 17th ) to electronically register the individuals with their company information. They can edit, delete and modify the candidate details until the registration period closes.
  • Step 3 – H1B Lottery Process: USCIS will conduct computer-generated random selection aka Lottery to select regular quota filing registrants, then the masters’ quota registrations are separated and the lottery is run to select the US masters quota filing registrants.
  • Step 4 – Notify Selected Registrants: USCIS Notifies electronically the selected registrants’ employer/sponsors to file H1B petitions within 90 days. They will time it to fall on April 1st. The unselected registrations are kept on reserve to do another selection as needed.
  • Step 5  – File H1B Petitions with USCIS: Employers need to file H1B petitions using the standard process like before using LCA, Fees, and all the information supporting the H1B job offer for the selected registrant.
  • Step 6  – USCIS Processing: USCIS will adjudicate the petition as per their standard process and inform employers regarding their petition. The below diagram shows the same info.
H1B Visa Registration Process Flow Final Rule
H1B Visa Registration Process Flow Final Rule

Common FAQs

Is the H1B Registration Process, Lottery applicable for H1B Visa 2025 Season?

Yes. The H1B Registration process, including the H1B Lottery process, are applicable for FY 2025 season. However, the lottery selection process is changing from FY 2025 season. There H1B registration process is electronic, you can read  H1B Registration Tool, Process with Screenshots. 

What happens, if you do not get selected in H1B Lottery? Electronic Registration System?

In the past, if you did not get selected in H1B Lottery, you used to get a physical rejection letter and the filing fee was returned to the employer. Check out Sample H1B Rejection Letters – NOT Picked in Lottery. But now, with the Electronic H1B Registration System, you will not get a physical notice of rejection. There will be a status change in the registration system that says ‘Not Selected’. It would be shown as ‘Submitted’ status until USCIS confirms that they have enough registrations for the current fiscal year and eventually the status changes to ‘Not Selected’.

Is USCIS Mandated to conduct the H1B lottery, if more Registrations are filed? What’s the regulation

Yes, USCIS is mandated to conduct H1B Lottery or random selection. Before the electronic registration system, they were also mandated to have the filing window open to file for the first 5 days. You can check details at USCIS Regulations on H1B Lottery. With the new registration system in place, the concept of paper notices and general lottery is not there anymore and USCIS would conduct the H1B Lottery electronically using their online system if they receive more registrations within the registration period.


If you are keen on understanding, how the entire H1B Lottery process used to work in the past you can read below.

The below historical information of H1B Lottery is only for reference and is not applicable for the current H1B season.

History of H1B Visa Lottery Process until FY 2019

USCIS followed the below H1B lottery process until FY 2019 season. This concept of lottery or random selection would only be applied, when we had more petitions than the required for actual cap count as we had a lottery situation for the H1B visa 2019 quota.  The process has been pretty much similar since its inception by USCIS in 2007.

  • Step 1: The first step that USCIS would do as soon as it receives an H1B petition is to label and identify each of the petitions with a unique identifier. This is the number that would be used for the random selection algorithm.  Once it is labeled, they will group the overall petitions into two sets, one as the master’s quota and one as the regular quota.
  • Step 2:  If there are more than 20,000 petitions received for the masters’ quota, they would run a computer-generated random selection process, which is called the H1B lottery, across all the masters’ petitions pool to pick the 20,000 petitions that would meet the cap for Masters quota for FY 2019.
  • Step 3:  All the H1B petitions filed under the master’s quota, that did NOT get selected in the lottery or random selection are placed or combined with all the pool of petitions that received regular quota H1B petitions.
  • Step 4:  If the total number of petitions in the combined pool is over 65,000 petitions, which is the cap limit, a computer-generated random selection process is run on the pool to identify the petitions that will qualify for the regular quota cap limit.
  • Step 5:  USCIS will send the list of all selected petition numbers to the service centers. The USCIS service centers will proceed with the next-level H1B Visa processing for adjudication of the selected petitions.
  • Step 6: All the petitions that were not selected in the random selection process or lottery will be returned to their respective parties either attorneys or employers directly along with the Fee. If there were duplicate filings for the same employee by an employer, no fee will be returned. More info is below on this step.
  • Step 7: USCIS will inform all the selected petition holders with their case numbers for tracking purposes during processing. It will be an EAC number. Read more on the H1B Visa Case Numbering Info.

Below is a high-level diagram that shows the process until FY 2019 season. You can watch the Video below the chart to understand the H1B Lottery Process Step by Step.

USCIS H1B Visa Lottery Process Diagram
Previous H1B Lottery Process Before FY 2019 Season

Does that give you a good understanding of the previous and current H1B lottery process? Did we miss anything? Add your thoughts in the comments section below.

   

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310 Comments

  1. Kumar,

    Firstly, thanks for this article. Seems like the first step is to get picked in the lottery. Now, from what I understand, a total of 85,000 applications are picked in the lottery (in 2 stages). But again, all don’t get approved. So effectively, USCIS issues less than 85,000 Visas. How are these remaining Visas issued? Or does the year end up issuing less than the quota?

    Reply
  2. Hi,

    One question.Till what date US waits for number of petitions to decide to have lottery system or not.i heard it was first come first serv kindda process so what if a petition filed on 1 st april and quota not reached on day1.Then will this petion get filled or consider in lottery system only if so decided

    Reply
    • Let me explain. As long as the quota is reached in the first 5 business days, lottery will take place and ALL of the applications filed by end of the 5th day will be in lottery. So if the quota is reached on lets says Apr 7th, and you have filed your application on Apr 1st, you will STILL be part of lottery. If quota is reached on Apr 1st, USCIS will STILL continue to accept applications till Apr 7th and then conduct the lottery for all the applications received by Apr 7th.

      Reply
  3. Hi..
    Last year my h1b visa got initiated. And my visa got rejected in lottery. This year again my company is filing for me. Is there any seperate lottery for people who got rejected last time or any waiver for people like me….

    Reply
  4. Hi ,

    If my employer processed H1b premium for me , will we get more chances to come out form lottery ?

    I believe it was yes as mentioned above in the article for below question.
    —How Would H1B Visa 2015 Lottery Process work?—-

    Waiting for reply urgent.

    Reply
    • There is no difference between normal and premium until the petition goes through the lottery and also doesn’t increase the chances of getting picked up in lottery when compared to normal petitions. Premium processing only helps receive the outcome of the petition in 15 working days, that’s all!

      Reply
  5. Hi ,

    I’ve query. I am working for CTS in india currently but im filing my h1b with other company in india as i got selected to that company. suppose if my petition is not selected in lottery will it give any problem when CTS files H1b for me in next coming years.?

    Please suggest

    Thanks
    srini

    Reply
    • There will not be a problem if your petition doesn’t go through the lottery and when another petition is filed for you in the future.

      Reply
  6. Hello There,
    1. I commonly heard from many people that It has more chances for H1B approval applying from UK than applying from India!! Is this true? If so what is the reason?
    2. What is the reliability of the consultancy who is willing to sponsor H1B? How to find I am in safe hands?
    Thanks
    Sravan

    Reply
    • No that is not true. It doesn’t matter where you file your application from. Regarding your firm’s reliability, you yourself will have to do your due diligence. Look at its financial results for the past few years, talk to its employees, look at its client names etc.

      Reply
    • I dont know about UK, but there are a few countries, which are not CAP subject, but that is only for the citizens of the country in question.

      As for your employer, you can also look up websites like myvisajobs.com for detailed information like their acceptance/ rejection history.

      Reply
    • Kumar,

      Firstly, thanks for this article. Seems like the first step is to get picked in the lottery. Now, from what I understand, a total of 85,000 applications are picked in the lottery (in 2 stages). But again, all don’t get approved. So effectively, USCIS issues less than 85,000 Visas. How are these remaining Visas issued? Or does the year end up issuing less than the quota?

      Reply
  7. HI,
    I Have a query regarding the Fees, do they return us the full amount to us, if we wont get selected in the lottery system. If not how much amount will be refunded to us on over all amount.

    Reply
    • Read below

      Step 6 : All the petitions that were not selected in random selection process or lottery will be returned to their respective parties either attorneys or the employers directly along with the Fee. If there were duplicate filings for a same employee by an employer, no fee will be returned.

      Reply
  8. My lawyer just informed me that I was not selected and my package has been returned 🙁 Best of luck to everyone else but I think they are done issuing receipts now!

    Reply
  9. Hi,

    Please help me out here. I was told that my cousin’s H1-B petition is not picked up in the lottery. Is there any Number gets assigned? OR Am I getting bluffed by the consulting company. We have issued $1200.00 to have this process on behalf of the applicant. Now, the company is saying Nothing will be returned as that much cost gets incurred.

    Reply
    • There are 2 types of fees: 1) lawyer fees and 2) application fees to USCIS

      Application fee should be returned if not selected in lottery.

      Lawyer fee will not be refunded as it is part of the service the lawyer provides.

      Ask the lawyer for evidence of return package.

      Reply
    • showurTalent,
      To answer your other question, the company can take you for a ride. Let me introduce you to consulting 101 –
      1. promise to file H-1 petition in a crazy year like this
      2. do not file the petition but just collect the documents and ask for enormous fees (illegal)
      3. wait until you see people reporting return of the packages
      4. tell the candidate that the package didn’t make through the lottery
      5. enjoy the money you made at others’ expense
      6. repeat the same next year

      Reply
  10. My employer told me, i have been selected in the lottery process.
    So what is the next process ?
    Do i have to prepare for the interview now ?

    Reply
    • Even mine also same case,, I informed by my employer that I selected in a Lottery a month back, but till now no response.

      Can anybody having the same kind of situation,,,pls update…

      Reply
  11. Hello …just received my USCIS receipt number…whoever still waiting don’t be panic…as this process goes till 1st week of June. ALL THE VERY BEST…

    Reply
    • R u sure.. that the process will continue till 1st week of june.. coz am still waiting for my receipt 🙁 My frends though have got it in April itself..!!

      Reply
      • Anyone got Receipt numbers after May 16th ? Some where I read that May 15th is last receipts sent for General quota. My employer says wait till May 31st. I am not clear on this. If any one got after May 16th than we can wait. Otherwise I also think that My application not selected in Lottery and wait for return application.

        Reply
  12. As per below article H1B visa lottery has been held on sunday !!

    http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/nri/visa-and-immigration/us-holds-visa-lottery-for-85000-skilled-workers/articleshow/19450728.cms

    Reply
  13. Lottery process is completed – It looks like Approximately 124000 petitions (regular quota + master degree quota) were filed for H1B 2014 cap. On April 7, 2013, USCIS used a computer-generated random selection process (commonly known as a “lottery”) to select a sufficient number of petitions needed to meet the caps of 65,000 for the general category and 20,000 under the advanced degree exemption limit. For cap-subject petitions not randomly selected, USCIS will reject and return the petition with filing fees, unless it is found to be a duplicate filing.

    The agency conducted the selection process for advanced degree exemption petitions first. All advanced degree petitions not selected were part of the random selection process for the 65,000 limit.

    All the best to everyone 🙂

    Reply
  14. Please sign this petition for removing the H1B cap for 2014: 100,000 signatures needed by May 06 2013

    http://wh.gov/M1Mn

    Kindly forward this message and post it in other websites to get more signatures ASAP.
    Not sure anything is going to get out of this. But it is well worth a try!

    Reply
  15. Please sign this petition for removing the H1B cap for 2014: 100,000 signatures needed by May 06 2013

    http://wh.gov/M1Mn

    Remove the H1B visa cap of 65,000, especially for STEM companies, when the full year quota was filled in few days

    “The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 5th 2013 that it would no longer accept applications for the H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2014 and has reached the visa cap of 65,000,”

    President Obama should act now remove the cap for H1B for fiscal 2014, especially for companies hiring in the STEM fields. This is one of the common sense solutions to help US economy and has overwhelming bipartisan support.

    John Feinblatt Chairman of the Partnership for a New American Economy has said yesterday regarding H1B quota “If we want to stay competitive and thrive in the global marketplace, we need to make sure that our immigration laws fit the needs of our economy. Sitting still risks the world passing us by,”

    Reply
  16. have done my masters and got my degree also.i just have to submit my thesis but in my degree they say i matriculated snd in my i20 it says im still enrolled in college..i m working on stem 17 months extension OPT …my lawyer applied for my h1b in bachelor quota but on top of my envelope they wrote for masters quota,though they send my master degree and everything but in my application it says applying for bachelors…where would my application be counted??in masters or bachelors???

    Reply
  17. 1) If I receive receipt/case number, then does that mean my petition is selected in lottery?
    2) By when receive receipt/case number is expected to reach my employer who has initiated my H1B?

    Reply
      • Hi asd,

        “If you get a receipt number it means you haven’t been selected.”..what does this means? Receipt number is the one which we will receive after the petition is selected right? Can you please explain more?

        Reply
        • JGN,

          Yeah if you receive a receipt number, obviously you were selected. I was just being sarcastic because Amz didn’t use common sense to answer his/her first question.

          Reply
      • If you get a receipt number that’s a sure shot of getting selected in lottery, but it doesn’t mean that your application has been approved, after your receipt number it will go for normal processing and can take anywhere between 2-8 months for approval.
        www.kumarnitesh.com

        Reply
  18. In the past how much time was taken for this lottery process?

    Does that take weeks , 1 month, 2 months? based on past can anyone tell how much time USCIS may take

    Reply
    • In the past how much time was taken for this lottery process?

      Does that take weeks , 1 month, 2 months? based on past can anyone tell how much time USCIS may take

      Reply
      • Nikhil,
        It depends how many petitions are received. In 2007-08 when there were close to 130K petitions received, it took at times up to 2 months to know whether one made through the cap or not. Premium processing applicants know it first (if they made through the cap), all others will know it later.

        Reply
  19. I understood the part that the remaining applications would be returned once 20K and 65K are picked from the initial pool of applications. But there is a chance that many applications out of the 85k selected do not fit the criteria or are missing some papers hence would be rejected? Or do the 85K applications selected are guaranteed to get the visa?

    Thanks,
    AVG

    Reply
    • For your questions, Please follow what USCIS has done for FY2009 filings. This year is exactly what had happened for FY 2009 filings. Below is the link

      http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=183f301458e49110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=68439c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

      Reply
  20. This is how I read USCIS news.

    USCIS might have received 90000 petitions both Masters and regular. Out of that 30000 could be masters and 60000 could be regular. Though regular does not exceed the regular cap, the over all could exceeds 85000. Hence they might be telling that they have exceeded the Masters and the spill over will be moved to regular after Masters-Lottery. Means, after the Masters-Lottery, the regular cap could become 70000, which again exceeds the regular cap, hence calls for the lottery.

    Reply
  21. My understanding is that the CAP has been met on both parts….essentially its a lottery all round so nothing we can do now except hope!

    Reply
    • “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year (FY) 2014. USCIS has also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the advanced degree exemption.”

      I agree, it only sais the 20K cap is exceeding the limit, 60K cap – “sufficient number”.

      Does anyone have other thoughts on interpretation?

      Reply
      • Guys, my attorney informed me the “regular cap” is reached and will be lottory… I hate to say, but just accept the fact and keep finger crossed.

        Reply
  22. My OPT ends this May and i thought i will be in CAP-GAP until Sep 30th and in H-1B status from Oct 1st. If i dont get selected in the lottery, will i be out of status?

    Reply
    • Prudhvi,
      In your case it is important for you to know whether you made through the lottery or not. Talk to your attorney about it, so that you know for sure. That ways you can either make use of cap-gap or make alternate arrangements if you didn’t make through the cap.

      One way to get early decision about whether you made through the lottery or not is to have premium processing. If you haven’t already applied for PP, then your attorney can do that if there is no news till mid-May etc.

      Reply
  23. One question about the H1B cap: Was the cap reached ON April 5th, or was it reached any day this week before April 5th and USCIS just waited until today to make an announcement about it?

    Reply
    • onequestion,
      Based on whatever information they have provided, it is tough to say w/ certainty. Hopefully next week they will provide more information about the exact counts.

      Reply
  24. http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5051f359827dd310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

    Reply
    • http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5051f359827dd310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

      Reply
  25. Here is an update from USCIS today
    http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5051f359827dd310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

    Reply
  26. Here is a latest update from USCIS.
    http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5051f359827dd310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

    Reply
  27. It is now official USCIS has received more petitions than the cap – http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5051f359827dd310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

    Reply
  28. USCIS Reaches FY 2014 H-1B Cap

    Lottery is certain.

    http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5051f359827dd310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

    Reply
  29. USCIS confirms it iell be lottery

    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year (FY) 2014. USCIS has also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the advanced degree exemption. After today, USCIS will not accept H-1B petitions subject to the FY 2014 cap or the advanced degree exemption.

    Read the Alert.

    Please do not reply to this message. See our Contact Us page for phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

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    Link for confirmation:
    http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5051f359827dd310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

    Reply
  30. Hi Guys,

    It’s official now.

    Cap reached.

    http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5051f359827dd310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

    Reply
    • There will be lottery.They have received very high number of applications and will not be receiving any new applications after Today.

      Sorry our faith lies in lottery.

      Reply
  31. I have a Masters degree from a non-US university, but my attorney has used “equivalency certificate” to show it is equivalent to US masters degree in the applicaiton. Will my application be considered under H-1B Masters cap or not?

    Reply
    • No it will not be counted under H-1B Masters. The Masters cap is for MS/PHD obtained in the US from acreddited schools. The equivalency certificate is used for bachelor degrees.

      Reply
      • Who Qualifies For H1B Advanced Degree Cap?
        A person who has obtained a U.S. Master’s degree or higher qualifies for this cap. A person who has obtained Associate or Bachelor’s degree from US does NOT qualify for this cap. Similarly, a person who has obtained a foreign (i.e. non-US) Master’s degree or higher also does NOT qualify for this.

        Reply
  32. My H1b has been filed by my employer for this year. Pls let me know that how I will know if my h1b get selected in the lottery ??

    My employer has filed my petition few days back and it reflecting in my company page.(But no petition no provided).
    So if I am through with the lottery , then how will I know about it ??

    Reply
  33. Hey Guys,

    Official news: USCIS has received 50,000 paykages on 1 first day. ( A paykage may contain 1 or multiple applications )

    However 2nd day no. of petitions fell sharply.
    (Source )
    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/outsourcing/H-1B-visas-US-receives-50000-applications-on-first-day/articleshow/19394784.cms

    So there might be a chance that there will be lottery but i don’t think they will be receiving more than 70-80 k applications on 1st 5 day.
    Ed

    Reply
  34. Well tomorrow could be the day we get an official news on the Cap count. Lottery or not! I don’t understand why USCIS, in a March 15 press release announce high anticipation of applications just to add to the mayhem. Whom does it benefit ?

    Well in the end if it’s a lottery , I wish I have won the Power-ball Jackpot ! ! ! !

    Reply
    • This is from the forum and I think is spot on

      They are playing a political game and we are all just pawns.

      Obama is trying to get immigration reform done (which it’s self is a good thing). part of that reform is increasing the H1B cap (upto 200K or more). The only way to get support for this is by “showing” that there is a scarcity of H1Bs now under the current cap. The best way to do this is to have a lottery so that they can say something like “under our currently broken system many US companies who wanted to fill important positions could not do it since only a % of those who applied got through and the cap was reached in record breaking time”. So the USCIS is doing the dirty work for the administration by pressuring everyone to file eary hence going for a lottery (hence their statement).

      Reply
    • This is from the forum and I think is spot on

      They are playing a political game and we are all just pawns.

      Obama is trying to get immigration reform done (which it’s self is a good thing). part of that reform is increasing the H1B cap (upto 200K or more). The only way to get support for this is by “showing” that there is a scarcity of H1Bs now under the current cap. The best way to do this is to have a lottery so that they can say something like “under our currently broken system many US companies who wanted to fill important positions could not do it since only a % of those who applied got through and the cap was reached in record breaking time”. So the USCIS is doing the dirty work for the administration by pressuring everyone to file eary hence going for a lottery (hence their statement).

      Reply
        • I honestly don’t think the US is trying to accept more H1Bs. Even if their economy needs us, they still have a high unemployment and allowing more foreign workers in would not be to the public’s liking.

          It could be a political game, but it could be a different one than you guys mentioned. Maybe the Obama administration wants to appear as if it’s thwarting legal immigration to help Americans find jobs. Who knows.

          The sad thing is, the US is scrambling to give illegal immigrants legal pathways, while being very harsh to legal ones.

          Reply
          • Yes, I agree with your last statement, legal immigrants are made to jump through hoops, while illegal ones are just made to jump over one fence.

    • Tomorrow is a holiday. I would assume we can get an update on Monday unless we get one by close of business today.

      Reply
      • Us congress is meeting from Tuesday after Easter holidays. if at all they decide to increase the H1-B cap then will it applicable from current h1-B processing year. In that case would they retain the applications which were not selected during the lottery process

        Reply
  35. Hi,
    Thanks for the info on the process. By when will get i to know whether my petition is got selected in the lottery applied for regular Quota ?

    Reply
  36. So its confirmed, There will be lottery. Such a F**g Service and laws. If People will deny to go there, your economy will be bottomed out. I am abusing because I was thinking to file in 2nd week as I could not provide information to attorney as was on leave.

    Now I will join non US project for sure

    Reply
    • How do you know that the lottery is confirmed? I would say not to worry at this point, USCIS still not confirmed anything yet. Also it’s a prediction of lottery, thats it. As per my knowledge, Quota will be there till 3rd week of April. Dont get disappointment, rather try to apply in early next week.

      Reply
  37. Courtesy: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9238127/U.S._gets_flood_of_H_1B_petitions_on_first_day

    Based on the above article posted on Computer world.USCIS has received around “50,000” packages (Which are closely around 60,000).

    Imporant point that is mentioned was the applications feel “sharply” on the second day.

    However, Lottery is likely to trigger.

    Reply
  38. non-official source AILA
    regular quota – 72,511 as of today 5pm EST
    masters quota – 18,698
    so expect lottery in both cases, but no of petitions are less so probability of acceptance is high
    Thanks,
    Steve.

    Reply
    • What is the source Steve.
      Why do you want to spoil other people life if you don’t have any source.

      You ,Mother Fucker

      Reply
      • fk man, AILA did publish that. no not yet fk off.
        redbus ban fking spamers from posting comments , including me (used fake email-id :P)

        Reply
    • Steve, Thank you for sharing this information. I did not see this update yet on AILA’s website. Is this an authentic information (i.e. from AILA ??).

      Friends – Steve has mentioned the source as AILA. This is a trusted unofficial source. Please hold off using foul language in this forum. Let us hope for the best.

      Reply
    • Bob/S/P/Bund/whoever the fuck you are- Have you fucking lost it! You can’t get any numbers, because USCIS employees would be fired for this. Also, if you used a little common sense before posting, you posted at 6:47 PM EST. It would have been 3:47 PM in California. The California center would not have counted the petitions till the end of the business day. Stupid mistakes made by stupid people.

      Reply
  39. Hi All,

    does this article means it is official now ??

    http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21575782-how-hurt-economy-needlessly-not-working

    Reply
    • Interesting! The article is dated April 6 2013 than April 4.
      The document does say that based on USCIS prediction a lottery will happen. Did not say how many petitions although.

      Reply
  40. Very good info , thank you very much.
    Question : 1 .how and when are people notified if their petitions are selected in the lottery ?
    2. when is the lottery drawn ?

    Reply
  41. In case the cap on H1b visas is reached before 5th April (say 3rd or 4th), will the USCIS accept all applications till the 5th of April and then run the lottery? OR will it run a lottery of all the petitions it has received on whatever they say is the final day? and all the petitions received before that final date are considered accepted?

    I just think you need to give some clarification on this aspect.

    Reply
    • Even if they get enough application on 1st,2nd,3rd or 4th USCIS will receive application till 5th of April. Its something like first 5 day of April is Day-1. So all application till 5th will go for lottery if it is supposed to be a lottery.

      Reply

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