The USCIS saw the most electronic registrations for the 2024 H1B lottery than ever before, reaching over 780,000 registrations compared to over 480,000 in the lottery for fiscal year 2023. That is a 61% increase in electronic registrations in just a year.
Out of the 780,884 registrations for fiscal year 2024, only 110,791 submissions were selected to file their H1B cap-subject petition. That means your chances of being selected in the 2024 H1B lottery were only 14%. In the 2023 H1B lottery, your chances of selection were around 26%.
Even further, even with 110,791 selections, there are only 85,000 H1B visas to give. The USCIS will usually pick more from the lottery in order to account for those who never are able to move forward with petitioning or are denied, have failed payment, etc. So the true chances of getting selected and moving forward with your H1B petition and having it eventually issued is only around 10% for fiscal year 2024.
With an ever growing amount of registrations in each year’s H1B cap-subject lottery, the chances of getting the opportunity to file for an H-1B visa seem to be decreasing each year as the market for an H1B visa becomes more and more competitive.
Eligible Registrations for Beneficiaries with Multiple Eligible Registrations
One interesting data point from the information released from the USCIS is that the amount of eligible registrations for beneficiaries with multiple eligible registrations increased dramatically from 2023 to 2024. In 2023, the number of multiple eligible registrations was 165,180; in 2024, that number soared to 408,891.
Due to this surprising jump in multiple registrations, it brings up the question of fairness and whether some registrants have an unfair advantage over others due to multiple registrations. The USCIS also notes that this raises concerns over fraud and whether or not there are people working together to submit multiple registrations on behalf of the same beneficiary to increase their selection chances.
While this is discouraging for those who are registering the right way, the USCIS says that they have been making sure that any suspicious submissions that were selected will not be able to file for their H1B petition. They also note that they have already begun to investigate suspected fraudulent registrations from fiscal years 2023 and 2024 lotteries and are also in the process of initiating law enforcement help for criminal prosecution.
What is the H1B Electronic Registration Process?
The H1B electronic registration process, also referred to as the H1B lottery, was implemented by the USCIS in order to streamline petitioning for the H1B visa in the US. In order to petition for an H1B visa, an authorized representative must electronically register an applicant during a certain open window of time (typically 14 calendar days) when registrations are accepted. They must pay $10 per registrant and enter in the petitioner’s name and basic information.
After the submission window is closed, the USCIS selects enough H1B applicants to reach their yearly cap randomly from registrations. Only those who are selected during the lottery process are permitted to then file their H1B cap-subject petitions.
Will There Be a Second 2024 H1B Lottery Round?
Looking at the numbers that USCIS released in regards to the 2024 H1B lottery, it appears that they selected almost 17,000 less applicants than they did in fiscal year 2023. The note about fighting back on fraud and the high amount of multiple registrations could be an indication that there may be a second lottery coming in the next few months to ensure that the USCIS reaches their cap, in addition to the decrease in selections from last year.
With the dramatic increase in submissions for the 2024 H1B lottery, it only seems necessary that refinement is needed in the H1B process to ensure that petitioners have a fair chance of selection. The USCIS says that they are working on a new H1B modernization rule that will suggest improvements and work towards preventing fraud and disadvantages in the system moving forward.
For more information on the H1B lottery process, visit the USCIS website. Check back soon for more updates regarding the possibility of a second H1B 2024 lottery!
