H-1B visa: USCIS conducts third round lottery to meet FY 22 target

This is the first time that US immigration service was conducting a third lottery for the work visa

PRAVASISAMWAD.COM

To reach the numerical cap of 2022, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) conducted third H-1B lottery to fill the target of financial year 2021-22. The visa, immigration and citizenship wing of the US has decided to pick more applications from registration including advanced degree exemptions, Times Now reported.

This is the first time that US immigration service conducted a third lottery for the work visa, the report said.

It cited a USCIS statement, which said, “On November 19, we selected from among previously submitted electronic registrations using a random selection process. The petition filing period based on registrations selected on November 19 will begin on Nov. 22, 2021, and close on Feb. 23, 2022. Individuals with selected registrations will have their myUSCIS accounts updated to include a selection notice, which includes details about when and where to file.”

The third lottery is unprecedented as generally the USCIS has surplus applications in the first round. The second lottery was done in July 2021 and third now, as those selected in the process can work from October 2022.

The USCIS issues 65,000 new H-1B visas every year. Additionally, there are seats reserved for those who have completed their Masters in the US. A total of 20,000 visas are reserved under this category

The USCIS conducted initial selection in March 2021. “The initial filing period for those with selected registrations for FY 2022 was from April 1, 2021, through June 30, 2021. Per regulation, we take into account historical data related to approvals, denials, revocations, and other relevant factors to calculate the number of registrations needed to meet the H-1B numerical allocations for a given fiscal year. Only those petitioners with selected registrations for FY 2022 are eligible to file H-1B cap subject petitions,” said the USCIS statement.

The USCIS issues 65,000 new H-1B visas every year. Additionally, there are seats reserved for those who have completed their Masters in the US. A total of 20,000 visas are reserved under this category.

Meanwhile, The US House of Representatives has recently cleared the Build Back Better Bill, which also includes significant immigration reforms.

Some of the proposed changes in the bill include a faster route to permanent residency and a clear pathway to citizenship for their dependents that currently age and lose legal status on turning 21.

************************************************************************

Readers

These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.

Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world.  We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.

Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.

In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.

For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com