US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will hold a second random lottery for H-1B specialty occupation visas to fill the fiscal year 2025 cap.
The first lottery was in March, where selected employers had until June 30 to submit full petitions for 85,000 available visas. Only employers who registered for the first lottery will be eligible for this second round.
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This year, USCIS received nearly 480,000 registrations, a significant decrease from the previous year.
The new random selection will be done from the registrations already submitted, and those chosen will be notified that they can file an H-1B petition for a specific beneficiary.
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USCIS will update its online accounts with details once the second selection is complete.
The initial lottery was intended to fill both the regular and advanced degree caps. Since the advanced degree cap is already filled, there will be no second lottery for it.
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The second lottery will include registrations that were either eligible for the regular cap or both caps.
This is disappointing for MS students because the advanced degree cap, which offered an additional 20,000 visas for U.S. advanced degree holders, will not have a second lottery. This cap typically provides extra chances for graduates from U.S. universities, like MS students, to secure an H-1B visa.
Without this second opportunity, MS students who weren’t selected in the initial lottery now face increased competition for the remaining regular cap slots, making it harder to get a visa. This situation adds stress and uncertainty, forcing them to consider alternative visa options or career plans.
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