On August 1, 2023, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the results of the second H-1B visa lottery, selecting a significant number of additional H-1B cap registrations to reach the annual quota of 85,000. This second lottery included an additional 77,400 selections by the USCIS, bringing the total number this year to 188,400.
The initial lottery draw held in March 2023 selected 110,000 registrations out of a pool of 758,994 eligible registrations. The additional selections from the second lottery were drawn from the remaining registrations from the original pool for the fiscal year 2024 H-1B cap season, as reported by JD Supra.
This augmentation signifies an increase in the selection rate for eligible registrations to 24.8%, a noteworthy boost from the initial drawing’s selection rate.
The H-1B visa program is crucial for U.S. corporations and law firms, as it permits employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require technical or theoretical expertise. The latest increase in lottery selections may well have significant potential implications for the U.S. labor market, particularly in sectors where there is a high demand for skilled foreign workers, such as tech, healthcare and finance.
As legal practitioners, it is important to stay informed about shifts in immigration policies and practices that may affect our clients and organizations. With USCIS’s dynamic approach to H-1B cap selections, it’s crucial to understand the policy changes and their potential impact on both current and future H-1B applicants.