H-1B Visa

The H-1B registration period for FY 2025 opens on March 6, 2024, with a beneficiary-centric approach to prevent fraud. Last year, USCIS received 758,994 registrations, with 408,891 duplicates.

This year, it’s estimated that about 350,000 unique individuals will apply for H-1B positions. This number is less than half of the registrations USCIS got last year.

Previously, the selection was employer-based, favoring beneficiaries with multiple submissions in the lottery. The new H1B Lottery process selects by unique beneficiary, ensuring equal opportunity.

Selected beneficiaries can choose among employers who registered for them, increasing their bargaining power. However, this poses challenges for employers investing in registration. USCIS’s fee increases for visa petitions add to their concerns.

Employers must ensure registered beneficiaries intend to join them upon selection. USCIS emphasizes the need for valid travel documents during registration.

In FY25, only one H1-B application per beneficiary is permitted, aiming to halt fraud by certain IT companies. There’s a potential disappointment for MS students applying for H-1B.

Last year, USCIS noted fraud by small companies, shamelessly submitting multiple applications per person—some even extending to a staggering 20 applications exploiting the lottery system in place.

Employees can now freely choose employers, but employers cannot submit multiple registrations. It’s better to find a job and ask for an H1-B visa than to get multiple job offers.