USCIS Announces Changes to H-1B Lottery and 2024 Registration Dates

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will modify the H-1B registration process this year with the intent of modernizing the program and, at the same time, to crack down on fraudulent and duplicate registrations. Under the new system, lottery selections will be made by selecting the individual applicant, instead of the sponsoring employer. As a result, if multiple companies submit a registration for the same individual and that individual is selected in the lottery, the companies will all be notified of the selection and given the option to submit a full petition, but the individual’s selection will only take up one of the 85,000 available visa slots. The new system is designed to eliminate an individual’s ability to increase their odds of selection (and decrease others’ odds) by submitting multiple registrations from different employers.

In addition, employers will now have the flexibility to request a start date after October 1 (as long as it is within six months of the filing of the H-1B petition), if desired.

The initial registration period for the Fiscal Year 2025 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 6, 2024, and run through noon Eastern on March 22, 2024. The registration fee is $10.

For further details on the upcoming changes to the H-1B lottery, or if you would like to enter anyone into the lottery, please contact your KM&M attorney.