H-1B visa lottery changes are proposed for 2025

There is a proposed change to the H-1B visa lottery process.
USICS is considering a rule change.
Who will it affect?

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has proposed a significant change to the H-1B visa lottery selection process.

The lottery is a way for specialized workers to enter the US to work. The changes are aimed at reducing abuse and simplifying the process.

Up to now, the USCIS made the selection randomly based on company submissions, meaning one person could be entered several times.

Under the proposed new process, selection will focus on individual beneficiaries, rather than company registrations.

Proposed changes to the H-1B visa lottery

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According to the Federal Register, «Under the beneficiary-centered selection process, any employer who submitted a registration will receive a selection notification.»

«This will improve the likelihood that the registration is legitimate.»

Likewise, the agency noted that it seeks to «eliminate the advantage of submitting multiple records for the same beneficiary.»

This would even the playing field for applicants.

The USCIS only grants a limited number of these visas each year

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This change could also reduce fraudulent practices affecting the H-1B visa system.

In addition to the H-1B visa lottery there is a Diversity Visa (DV) Program which also has a lottery.

Applicants can enter this lottery in order to get a green card.

This program grants a limited number of visas each year to immigrants from countries with low rates of immigration to the US.

Requirements for the Diversity Visa

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Requirements to qualify for a Diversity Visa include being a citizen of a country with a low immigration rate to the United States.

Applicants must also have 12 years of primary and secondary education, or its equivalent.

They must also have at least two years of work experience, within the last five years, in an eligible occupation.

The State Department publishes the list of eligible and ineligible countries for the Diversity Visa Program annually.

The deadline to apply

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The deadlines to apply for an H-1B visa change each year.

Registration will be open from October 4, 2023 to November 7, 2023 at 12:00 PM (Eastern Time), according to USCIS.

Registration for the visa lottery program is free and can be done online.

Applicants should retain their registration confirmation number to check the current status of their application.

Possible changes to the registration process

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The State Department only provides results online and does not send notifications by other means.

This is an effort to improve the transparency and legitimacy of the system, in order to benefit workers and employers alike.

USCIS is committed to streamlining the process and reducing fraudulent practices in the US visa system.

In total they are proposing four modifications to the Diversity Visa application process.

The changes aim to benefit workers

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According to the USICS, the first change is to improve registration so that each beneficiary is only registered once, regardless of how many companies register them.

Another is related to the efficiency of the program that will benefit the workers selected to receive a visa.

Flexibility will be extended to students who have an F-1 visa, according to the USICS.

For more information go to the USCIS website.