To answer all of the questions we’ve been receiving, we’re sharing our H-1B flowchart to give you a simple overview of a complex process. You’ll find it below, but before we get to that, let’s tell you what we know — or at least what we’re pretty sure of:
Will there be an H-1B lottery this year?
We expect that, yes, there will be another H-1B lottery this year based on historical data, demand patterns, and ongoing shortage of U.S. workers in several key economy driven fields.
How will it work?
Nearly 275,000 unique registrations were submitted during the initial registration period for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. Roughly 46% of all registrations were for prospective beneficiaries with U.S. advanced degrees. There were more than 40,000 registration accounts created, and nearly 81% of submitted registrations were for potential beneficiaries from India (67.7%) and China (13.2%)
What are my employees’ chances?
US Masters F-1 students will continue to have the best chances at obtaining an H-1B lottery visa based on the 20,000 visas specifically allocated to those with U.S. Masters degrees and the reversal of the lottery selection process. The new lottery selection process is expected to result in 16% more H-1Bs awarded to these students (or about 5,340 more).
When will we know the results of the lottery?
The H-1B Registration and Selection Process Timeline is expected to be as follows:
- March 9 — H-1B registration period opens at noon ET
- March 25 — H-1B registration period closes at noon ET
- March 31 — Date by which USCIS intends to notify selected registrants
- April 1 — The earliest date that FY 2022 H-1B cap-subject petitions may be filed
Click here to see our flowchart and get a sense of the whole process.