US Introduces New Beneficiary-Centric H-1B Visa Registration Process
The United States has implemented a new beneficiary-centric selection process for H-1B visas, aimed at reducing gaming and ensuring fair selection. This change has significantly impacted the registration and selection process for the fiscal year 2025.
H1b VisaBeneficiarycentric SelectionUscisRegistration ProcessGaming PreventionReal EstateJan 26, 2025
The US has recently introduced a new beneficiary-centric selection process for H-1B visa registrations, marking a significant change from the past practices.
This new approach aims to reduce the potential for gaming the system and ensure a fair selection process for all applicants.
Under the beneficiary-centric selection process, instead of selecting by registration, the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will select registrations based on unique beneficiaries.
Each unique beneficiary who has a registration submitted on their behalf will only be entered into the selection process once, regardless of the number of registrations submitted on their behalf.
This change was implemented to prevent companies and individuals from submitting multiple registrations to increase their chances of selection.
If a beneficiary is selected, each registrant who submitted a registration on that beneficiary’s behalf will be notified of the selection and will be eligible to file a petition on the beneficiary’s behalf during the applicable petition filing period.
This ensures that the selection process is fair and transparent.
The primary reason for this change is to reduce the potential for gaming the process.
In the past, the lottery system allowed companies and individuals to submit multiple registrations, which often led to unfair advantages.
The new beneficiary-centric selection process has effectively met the objective of preventing such gaming, as evidenced by the latest H-1B cap registration data for fiscal year 2025.
The 2026 H-1B fiscal year registration window is expected to open in early March 2025.
The data for the FY 2025 H-1B cap registration shows a significant reduction in unfair advantage attempts compared to previous years, largely due to the beneficiary-centric selection process.
USCIS received enough electronic registrations during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year 2025 H-1B numerical allocations, including the advanced degree exemption, also known as the master’s cap.
From the total registrations received, 114,017 beneficiaries were selected, resulting in 120,603 selected registrations in the initial selection for the FY 2025 H-1B cap.
USCIS subsequently announced the need to select additional registrations for unique beneficiaries to reach the FY 2025 regular cap numerical allocations.
In the second selection, 13,607 beneficiaries were selected, resulting in 14,534 selected registrations.
As announced on December 2, 2024, USCIS received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S.
advanced degree exemption for fiscal year 2025.
During the registration period for the FY 2025 H-1B cap, there was a significant decrease in the total number of registrations submitted compared to FY 2024.
The number of unique beneficiaries for FY 2025 (approximately 442,000) was comparable to the number last year for FY 2024 (approximately 446,000).
Similarly, the number of unique employers for FY 2025 (approximately 52,700) was comparable to the number last year for FY 2024 (approximately 52,000).
However, the number of eligible registrations was down dramatically for FY 2025 (470,342) compared with FY 2024 (758,994), marking a 38.6% reduction.
Overall, there was an average of 1.06 registrations per beneficiary this year in FY 2025, compared to 1.70 for FY 2024.
This reduction indicates that the new beneficiary-centric selection process has been effective in preventing gaming and ensuring a fair selection process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the H-1B visa?
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows U.S. companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields, such as science, engineering, and information technology.
What is the new beneficiary-centric selection process?
The beneficiary-centric selection process is a new method where USCIS selects H-1B registrations based on unique beneficiaries, ensuring each beneficiary is entered into the selection process only once, regardless of the number of registrations submitted on their behalf.
Why was the new process introduced?
The new process was introduced to reduce the potential for gaming the system, where companies and individuals submitted multiple registrations to increase their chances of selection, and to ensure a fair and transparent selection process.
When is the 2026 H-1B fiscal year registration window expected to open?
The 2026 H-1B fiscal year registration window is expected to open in early March 2025.
How has the new process impacted the number of registrations?
The new process has significantly reduced the number of registrations submitted, with a 38.6% reduction in eligible registrations for FY 2025 compared to FY 2024, indicating a more fair and efficient selection process.
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