In April this year, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced they had received sufficient electronic registrations for unique individuals for the fiscal year 2025 (“FY2025”) cap, including the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap). USCIS randomly selected properly submitted registrations and notified all employers.

Those with selected registrations were able to begin filing H-1B cap subject petitions for FY2025 as of April 1, 2024. The deadline for filing H-1B cap subject petitions online, based on a valid registration selection notice, was June 30, 2024, and paper-based H-1B cap subject petitions had to be received at a USCIS Lockbox Facility by July 1, 2024 (since June 30 was a Sunday).

On July 30, 2024, USCIS announced that they will be conducting a second random selection from previously submitted FY2025 H-1B cap electronic registrations to reach the FY2025 regular cap numerical allocation. The Service will announce when they have completed this second lottery and will notify prospective petitioners with selected registrations that they are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for the beneficiary listed in the selected registration.

Although total eligible H-1B cap registrations decreased dramatically from 758,994 in FY2024 to 470,342 in FY2025, the odds are still against most applicants, even with a second lottery. For those with selected registrations, there is certainly luck involved. Congratulations on this good fortune—time to celebrate! But after these celebrations, H-1B cap selectees should be aware of some key additional items. And for those not selected, there may still be hope.

The following is an interactive document that will allow our audience to choose a section with further information depending on which link is selected. Please remember the information in the links is meant as general information about what may be a possible H-1B alternative or what the next steps may be for someone picked in this year’s lottery. It is always best to consult with an experienced immigration attorney to discuss any possible H-1B alternatives specific to each situation as well as what the next step will be if chosen in this year’s lottery. Please click on the link below that applies:

My H-1B electronic registration was selected in the lottery >

My H-1B electronic registration was NOT selected in the lottery >