USCIS Announces No Third H-1B Visa Lottery Pick

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will not hold a third lottery for H-1B visa applications in the current fiscal year. The agency has already selected 85,000 applicants from the previous lotteries, which received a record 758,994 applications. This news disappoints H-1B aspirants hoping for another chance.

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Key takeaways

USCIS announces no third H-1B visa lottery as 85,000 visa quota filled through two earlier lotteries.
758,994 H-1B applications submitted, highlighting high demand for specialized visa program.
Closure of lottery disappoints hopefuls, highlighting the competitiveness and uncertainty of securing an H-1B visa.

USCIS Concludes H-1B Visa Lottery Selections for FY 2024

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently made an important announcement regarding the H-1B visa program for the financial year ending in September 2024.

USCIS Announces No Third H-1B Visa Lottery Pick

No Third H-1B Lottery

USCIS has confirmed that there will not be a third lottery for H-1B visas. The reason given is that the quota of 85,000 visas has been fulfilled through the two lotteries that took place earlier this year, in March and August.

Record Number of H-1B Applications

A striking 758,994 H-1B applications were submitted this year. That’s an overwhelming number of applicants vying for the chance to work in the United States under this specialized visa program.

Selections from Two Lotteries

In the first lottery, over 100,000 applications were picked, followed by more than 77,000 in the second lottery. It may seem surprising that more applications were selected than the 85,000 available visas. However, this was deliberate to account for potential rejections and revocations that regularly occur.

“USCIS received a record 758,994 H-1B applications this year, for a total of 85,000 visas.”

Disappointment among Aspirants

Unfortunately for those hopefuls not yet selected, the closure of the visa lottery for this fiscal year dashes any remaining hopes for another chance at securing an H-1B visa through a third lottery.

Looking Forward

For those interested in applying for the H-1B visa in the future or those seeking more information about the program and its processes, visit the official USCIS H-1B page.

What Is an H-1B Visa?

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows U.S. employers to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Industries such as IT, finance, engineering, and medicine often use this visa to hire international talent.

Conclusion

This year’s H-1B visa process highlighted the competitiveness of securing a place in the U.S. workforce as an international specialist. With no further lotteries planned for the current year, attention now turns to future applications and changes in immigration law that could impact the sought-after H-1B visa.

Well folks, that’s a wrap on the H-1B visa lottery for this year. A whopping 758,994 applications, but only 85,000 visas to go around. So if you missed out, don’t lose hope! And for all you tech-savvy adventurers craving more info about this visa and its complex process, head on over to visaverge.com. Happy exploring!

Pocket Piece:

The USCIS has finished selecting H-1B visa winners for the fiscal year 2024. With a record 758,994 applications submitted, 85,000 visas were available. Sadly, no third lottery will be held, crushing the hopes of those not yet selected. For more information, visit the official USCIS H-1B page.

People also ask

Answers from VisaVerge guides
When will USCIS announce the second selection for the H1B lottery in fiscal year 2025?

USCIS is expected to announce the completion of the second H1B lottery selection process soon as part of their annual process to meet the FY 2025 regular cap numerical allocation.

Read: How to Check if You're Picked in Second H1B Lottery
How many H-1B applications were selected in the 2026 fiscal year lottery?

Over 120,000 H-1B applications were selected for the 2026 fiscal year.

Read: Republican Leader Warns H-1B Visa Dispute Could Devastate India's Economy
Why did USCIS select fewer registrations for the H-1B visa lottery in fiscal year 2026 compared to previous years?

USCIS selected fewer registrations because there was a sharp drop in total entries, with the number of unique beneficiaries down from 423,000 during last year’s cycle to about 336,000.

Read: USCIS selects lowest number of H-1B visa registrations since 2021
Will there be a second H-1B 2025 lottery?

USCIS announced plans for a second lottery to select more H-1B visa applicants for the 2025 fiscal year after the initial selection in March 2024 didn't fill all available slots.

Read: H-1B 2025: Will There Be a Second Lottery?
How many applicants were selected in the 2024-2025 H-1B lottery?

For the 2024-2025 cycle, only 16.6% of 470,342 eligible registrations were selected for 78,200 visas.

Read: Why H1B Visa Rejection Isn’t the End for Indian Professionals
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Priya Nair

Priya Nair is VisaVerge.com's Work Visa Correspondent, specializing in employment-based immigration — H-1B, L-1, O-1, TN, OPT, and the PERM and green-card process. She breaks down lottery odds, prevailing-wage rules, and employer obligations for the skilled professionals who navigate them every year. Priya's guides help workers and employers make confident, well-informed decisions about building a career in the United States.

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