Authorities in the United States have said that they may not be holding a secondary lottery for H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2023.
Based on a report provided by TOI, immigration attorneys have reported the issue of H-1B cap non-selection notices as an indication that there would not be a second lottery conducted, VisaGuide.World reports.
“There may not be a second H-1B lottery this year. This is because the USCIS has issued several ‘non-selection’ notices, which is a step taken only when there will be no more lotteries,” managing attorney at Immigration.com, Rajiv Khanna, pointed out in this regard.The H-1B visa or a Person in Speciality Occupation Visa permits internationals engaged in specific fields, including architects, IT specialists, accountants, professors, doctors as well as lawyers, to temporarily work in the US if they meet specific requirements. A total of 483,927 H-1B cap registrations have been accepted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) this fiscal year, marking a total of a 7 per cent increase compared to last season. Of the total, USCIS has selected a total of 127,600 registrations or 26 per cent more, in order to meet the H-1B quota. The registration process was opened from March 1 until March 18, 2022. Previously USCIS confirmed that it would transfer the processing of specific H-1B visa petitions to a different center to clear the existing backlog.
“We are transferring these cases in response to the H-1B receipt issuance delays at the VSC. Please continue to file H-1B petitions on the basis of the addresses provided on the Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker page,” the statement published by the agency reads.Through a statement, the USCIS announced that it took such a decision in order to help the agency issue receipt notices for valid H-1B petitions faster.
“Please permit time for the CSC to process the transferred cases and do not submit duplicate petitions out of concern that your previous submission did not arrive or has been misplaced. In case your petition is transferred, you will not receive a transfer notice, but you will receive a receipt notice when a petition is received. H-1B petitions will be worked to completion at the CSC once transferred,” the statement reads.Last year, the USCIS conducted a total of three visa lotteries in order to meet the mandated cap of 65,000 visas and additional 20,000 visas under the master’s cap.