The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced that the 2025 H-1B lottery registration will open for employers wishing to submit registrations for qualifying are foreign national employees starting at noon Eastern on March 6, 2024, and running through noon Eastern on March 22, 2024. The registration MUST be filed during this window.
Employers whose foreign national employees are selected in the lottery will then be eligible to file an H-1B petition which, if approved, will allow the employee to work in the U.S. in H-1B status commencing October 1, 2024. H-1B petitions are initially valid for 3 years and are extendable for an additional 3 years. In order to qualify for H-1B status, a foreign national employee must be offered a specialty occupation position in a field which requires the application of a body of knowledge that can only be gained through the attainment of a Bachelor’s Degree (or its equivalent) and must be paid the local “prevailing wage” as determined by the Department of Labor.
If you (or a client) have employees or potential employees, working pursuant to valid F-1 OPT or F-1 STEM OPT you (or your clients) may enter them in the H-1B lottery. We are happy to answer any questions you might have regarding an employee’s eligibility for H-1B classification.