Following the April 1, 2024 announcement that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received enough electronic registrations for unique beneficiaries during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year (FY) 2025 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap), including the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap), USCIS has recently published data showing that the agency selected 114,017 beneficiaries, resulting in 120,603 selected registrations in the initial selection for the FY 2025 H-1B cap.[1]
According to USCIS, the data from the FY 2025 H-1B cap registration period show a significant decrease in the total number of registrations submitted compared to FY 2024, including a decrease in the number of registrations submitted on behalf of beneficiaries with multiple registrations.
Here are some key points:
- The number of unique beneficiaries this year for FY 2025 (approximately 442,000) was comparable to the number last year for FY 2024 (approximately 446,000).
- The number of unique employers this year for FY 2025 (approximately 52,700) was also comparable to the number last year for FY 2024 (approximately 52,000).
- The number of eligible registrations, however, was down dramatically for FY 2025 (470,342) compared with FY 2024 (758,994) — a 38.6% reduction.
- Overall, USCIS states they saw an average of 1.06 registrations per beneficiary this year in FY 2025, compared to 1.70 for FY 2024.
Selected H-1B cap-subject petitions must be filed between April 1, 2024, and June 30, 2024.
USCIS has not yet announced if they will conduct an additional cap selection lottery for FY 2025. A decision will likely not be made until after the current H-1B filing period ends on June 30, 2024, and USCIS determines the number of H-1B cap petitions received.
Employers who will be sponsoring foreign nationals for H-1B classification based upon selection in the FY 2025 H-1B visa lottery should consult with counsel to ensure timely preparation and filing of their petitions by June 30th. For those employers whose registered foreign nationals were not selected, counsel may be consulted to consider other alternative visa classifications. Gunster’s Immigration Practice Group remains available to assist with these processes and answer your questions.
Should you wish to receive further information concerning Immigration matters, please contact Gunster’s Immigration Law practice.
[1] The information herein is based upon a United States Citizenship and Immigration update on the H-1B Electronic Registration Process: H-1B Cap Electronic Registration Process. See https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models/h-1b-electronic-registration-process
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This publication is for general information only. It is not legal advice, and legal counsel should be contacted before any action is taken that might be influenced by this publication.
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