H-1B Cap Registration Opens March 7, 2025

There are 85,000 new H-1B visas available every year.  Significantly more individuals apply every year than the 85,000 H-1B visas (last year 479,953 individuals applied).  Since there are more registrations than the 85,000 available visas, the USCIS conducts a random lottery every March to see who will be selected for the 85,000 new H-1B visas.

The USCIS recently announced, this year's H-1B cap registration period will run from March 7, 2025 to March 24, 2025; this is the period where employers may submit their registrations for an individual(s).  The USCIS will let employers/attorneys know by March 31, 2025 who was selected in the registration/lottery.  If selected in the H-1B lottery, employers will have 90 days to submit a full H-1B petition for an individual with the USCIS.  If the full H-1B petition is approved, individuals may start working as soon as October 1, 2025 in H-1B status.