USCIS Announces Second Round of Random Selection for Previously Submitted FY 2025 H-1B Cap Registrations

In March 2024, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) conducted an initial round of random selection on electronic registrations that were properly submitted for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 H-1B cap. This also included beneficiaries eligible for the advanced degree exemption. As part of this process, petitioners with selected registrations for FY 2025, were eligible to file H-1B cap petitions during the filing period indicated on their registration selection notice. The initial filing period for those registrations began on April 1, 2024, and concluded on June 30, 2024.

USCIS has now determined that they will select additional registrations for unique beneficiaries to reach the numerical allocation for FY 2025 regular cap. Additional registrations from previously submitted electronic registrations will be selected at random, and prospective petitioners will be notified with their selected registrations that they are eligible to file an H-B cap petition. The completion of the second round will be announced by USCIS separately.

Please note that USCIS will not be conducting a second selection for the advance degree exemption (the master’s cap), as enough petitions were received to meet the FY 2025 masters cap numerical allocation. The second round of selection that USCIS is conducting will include previously submitted registrations that indicated eligibility for the master’s cap along with those that indicated only eligibility for the regular cap. Individuals with selected registrations will have their USCIS online accounts updated to include a selection notice, along with information on when and where to file.

USCIS has conducted second round registration selections in the past few years, and it is a wonderful opportunity for U.S. employers and H-1B quota applicants to be given a second chance to be selected in the annual H-1B registration program.

This is an ongoing development, and we recommend readers to check back on our platforms for any further updates from USCIS.