U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that they will be selecting additional H-1B registrations that were submitted in March 2023 for the fiscal year 2024 H-1B lottery. Foster attorneys have been notified that certain previously unselected H-1B registrations will be eligible for submission once USCIS has completed this second random selection process. 
   
As reported in a prior Immigration Update, registrations that were not initially selected in the first round of the H-1B lottery were to remain in the system for the remainder of the fiscal year. USCIS held these registrations in the event that the initial round of selections ultimately resulted in an insufficient number of H-1B petition filings.   

No announcement has yet been made regarding the number of new selections in this second round of the lottery nor when the current selection window will close. Given the record 780,884 registrations submitted for this year’s lottery and the annual quota of 85,000 H-1B numbers, the probability that a previously unselected registration will be selected in this second round or any future round is likely small.   
   
Foster recommends that employers continue to monitor their emails closely for notifications from USCIS of H-1B registration selections. Foster will continue to monitor the situation for any developments. For more information regarding potential alternatives to H-1B classification, contact your Foster immigration attorney. We will be glad to aid in determining whether a candidate may qualify for one of these nonimmigrant classifications.  

Foster will provide additional updates on H-1B cap adjudications via our firm’s website at www.fosterglobal.com.