The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently issued an alert, announcing its intent to carry out a second random selection from FY 2025 H-1B regular cap petitions. This significant update is geared towards selecting sufficient petitions for the annual numerical limit.
USCIS has confirmed that it will conduct this second chance lottery on a date yet to be announced. It will choose from H-1B petitions, which were initially submitted during the FY 2025 filing period but were not selected in the first random draw.
The regulatory body has also expressly stated that it is primed to notify petitioners or their authorized representatives concerning the selection results. It is worth noting that notifications shall be sent via email or may be checked via the USCIS online account. Therefore, petitioners or their assigned representatives must pay close attention to their email inboxes or USCIS online accounts.
One essential aspect of this new update is that the system will calculate and include the requisite fees for individuals and entities selected in this second random selection. According to USCIS, all necessary payments must be paid within 60 days of notification and in line with established guidelines.
Should the petitioner or their authorized representative fail to initiate the necessary actions regarding payment within the stipulated timeframe, or if checks relating to the selected cases are returned, the USCIS will cancel such selection.
Importantly, petitioners and their representatives are urged to keep their own records up-to-date and accurate. Inaccurate or outdated information may have adversarial effects on the notification process.
On an advisory note, USCIS has explicitly stated their preference for online documentation and prompt payment to avoid delays in processing.
In conclusion, the second random selection comes as a beacon of hope for petitioners left out during the first selection for the FY 2025 H-1B regular cap. Given the importance of the accompanying guidelines, petitioners and their representatives must remain vigilant to stay abreast of further updates.
This summary is based on the alert article from USCIS’s official newsroom. For more detailed information, please refer to the original article (https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-will-conduct-second-random-selection-for-regular-cap-from-previously-submitted-fy-2025-h-1b).
