The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued an important notification to professionals who are seeking H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2024. A second random lottery will be held in order to fill the annual cap for these highly sought-after specialist occupation visas.
The choice was made following a preliminary lottery in March during which the USCIS received an excessive number of employer registrations, raising questions about potential system manipulation attempts.
US businesses rely on the H-1B visa programme to hire foreign workers with specialised skills and knowledge in industries like technology and engineering.
The USCIS had received more than 780,000 employer registrations in response to the demand for the upcoming fiscal year, a phenomenal 61% rise over the year before, which held the record for the most registrations.
As a result of the increase in registrations, USCIS began to have concerns that some businesses might be filing multiple registrations on behalf of certain employees to get an unfair edge in the lottery system.
The government revealed in April that it had begun looking into these cases for fraud. These inquiries might result in visa denials or revocations, as well as potential criminal charges against those responsible for fraudulent activities.
Given the situation, USCIS has decided that a second lottery would be held for the fiscal year 2024 to reach the yearly cap for H-1B visas.
From the pool of already submitted electronic registrations, further registrations will be chosen at random. Only those who are chosen in the second lottery may proceed with submitting H-1B petitions.
There is an annual cap of 85,000 H-1B visas, 20,000 of which are set aside for people with advanced degrees. These visas normally last for three years, with the possibility of an extra three-year extension.
If they have employer sponsorship, visa holders who make considerable progress towards applying for permanent residency may stay in the US indefinitely on an H-1B visa.
In the event that an employer's registration is chosen in the lottery, they are then qualified to submit an H-1B cap-subject petition on behalf of the beneficiary listed in the chosen registration.
Yes, H-1B visa holders can file for permanent residency. If they make enough progress in the application process, they will be able to remain in the United States with the support of their company eternally.
As long as their visa is still in effect and they possess the required identification, such as a current passport and an H-1B approval notice, holders of H-1B visas are permitted to leave the country and return.