Washington, Aug 1: The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has launched a second round of the H-1B visa lottery for fiscal year 2025 due to an insufficient number of petitions in the initial round. This move aims to fill the remaining slots available under the regular H-1B cap.

In the first round of lottery held in March, selected individuals were given the opportunity to file their H-1B petitions between April 1 and June 30, 2024. However, the number of filed petitions did not meet the required allocation for the regular cap, prompting this additional selection process.

Eligibility and Process

The second lottery will draw from the pool of previously submitted electronic registrations, including those who applied under the regular cap and those eligible for the Master’s cap. Importantly, the Master’s cap, which reserves 20,000 visas for applicants with advanced degrees from US institutions, will not undergo a second selection as it has already reached its limit.

The H-1B visa program allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations, particularly in science and information technology sectors. Indian IT firms like TCS, Infosys, and Wipro are notable beneficiaries, employing numerous skilled workers annually. With 85,000 visas issued each year—65,000 for specialty occupations and 20,000 for advanced degree holders—the USCIS lottery system ensures a fair chance amid high demand.

The second round of the lottery provides a renewed opportunity for applicants who were not selected initially, aiming to allocate the remaining regular cap visas for FY 2025.