How to Check your H1B Visa Lottery Results, 2022? (H1B Visa Lottery Guide)

A popular ad says the probability of becoming president was much higher (1 million) than winning a lottery. The odds of winning the H 1B visa lottery are not so low when you meet certain requirements.

H 1B visas are issued to foreign nationals who have specialized knowledge in science, engineering, or education and work for organizations in the United States or work in a specialty occupation. The H 1B visa holder may stay in the country and work there for up to six years before applying for an extension or leaving the nation.

We are here to encourage you to participate in the 2023 H1B lottery, and with the open date coming, we will provide you with the relevant information required to make it easier for you. Advance Preparation and this article can help you prepare for submission by the fiscal year 2023 March, when registrations begin to make timely filings.

What is an H 1B Visa Lottery?

The H1B visa lottery is a random selection process that chooses applications on an unbiased basis. A lottery system is used to allocate the H 1B visa to applicants. A capped limit is set each year on the maximum amount of visas to be given.

The H 1B lottery selection process is conducted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Each year, USCIS randomly selects 85,000 petitions from those received to meet the H 1B cap.

Once the H 1B petitions have been selected, USCIS then conducts a lottery to determine which petitions will be processed for adjudication.

How to Check H1B Lottery Results, 2022?

To check your H1B lottery results for 2022, you will need to log in to the USCIS website and navigate to the “My Case Status” page. Enter your case number and click on the “Check Status” button. If your case has been selected in the lottery, it will say “The petition has been selected in the lottery.” Otherwise, it will provide information on what to do next. You can also check your H1B lottery results by calling the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

Overview of H 1B Visa Lottery, FY 2022

• The USCIS announced on March 1, 2022, that H 1B Visa Petitions submission process would begin being accepted starting April 1st, 2022.
• The H 1B initial registration period began on March 1, 2022, and applicants had to pay a $10 non-refundable registration fee in order to be considered.
• On March 18, 2022, the lottery was closed, after which no new registrations were accepted.
• The H 1B lottery selection process began on March 25th and ended on March 31st, starting with the Regular Cap and progressing to the Masters Cap.
• On March 31, the H1B visa lottery winners are announced, and notifications are sent out. If additional visas become available after the USCIS releases its findings, recipients may receive notifications later.
• The H-1B season began April 1, 2022, with initial applications for the H-1B visa submitted by the beginning of April 1, 2022. The employees of the selected registrants have 90 days from acceptance to submit a petition.

Registration Process for the H 1B Lottery

The USCIS holds the H 1B lottery on a random selection basis if the registrations received are more than the set annual H 1B cap. The registration process for the same is as follows:

Step-1: Employers have to submit one registration per beneficiary whom they are supporting through the online H-1B registration site. You must open an account on USCIS before February 21.

Step-2: On March 1, 2022, at 12 p.m. EST, the registration system opens up. The beneficiary’s information, as well as a non-refundable $10 processing fee, must be submitted through the registration portal. The $10 filing cost should not be paid by the beneficiary but by the employer.

Step-3: On March 18, the H 1B registration submission closed down, and no more registrations were accepted following that.

Step-4: The lottery results were declared on March 31, 2022, and petitions for chosen applicants were filed starting April 1, 2022, onwards.

Step-5: The documenting window stays open for 90 days from the date the H1B visa lottery results are declared.

Step-6: Under the lottery process, which stays unaltered since last year, employers, or their approved agents (counting law firms and lawyers), should give specific, basic data about their organization and the mentioned H 1B cap worker.

What Can Specialty Occupations Apply for H1B Visa Lottery?

The following field workers are eligible (but not limited to) to apply for the H1B:

• Accountancy
• Architecture
• Arts
• Computer programming
• Education
• Engineering
• International Business Management
• Journalism
• Law
• Mathematics
• Medicine/Health
• Modeling
• Nursing
• Research
• Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Theology

Fees Required for the Entire H1B Lottery Process

A compulsory registration fee of $10 has to be paid by each registrant to the USCIS. This fee is non-refundable. However, if you get selected in the lottery, a petition needs to be filed, and the following additional fees would need to be paid:

Fee	Amount	Responsible for Fee
Registration Fee	$10	Employer
Premium Processing (Optional)	$2500	Employer or Employee
Public Law 114-113 Fee	$4000	Employer
Basic Filing Fee	$460	Employer
USCIS Anti-Fraud Fee	$500	Employer
ACWIA Education and Training Fee	$750 (less than 25 employees) $1500 (more than 25 employees)	Employer
Attorney Fee	Variable	Employer

How H 1B Visa Lottery Selection Process Works

This is a short blueprint of how the H1B visa lottery functions. Once the US Employer completes the initial registration process, the Advanced Degree or the Master’s degree petition lottery is chosen. Then, a computer-generated program arbitrarily chooses 20,000 petitions from the overall pool of master’s degree petitions.

Masters degree petitions that are not chosen in this first pool are therefore moved into the regular cap pool, where they will get one more opportunity at the determination of visa hand-outs.

Then, the regular cap lottery chooses a total of 65,000 petitions (varying numbers year to year). Residents of Singapore and Chile have a reserve for 6,500 extra H 1B visas. All participants in the overall H 1B lottery have an equivalent possibility of being selected in the lottery, with the annual quota being 85,000 visas and demand being twice or thrice that number. The current process is based on random selection; hence no preference is given to anyone with a particular skill or wage level.

Fun Fact: Less than 1 out of every 2.3 H1B cap registrations received by the USCIS during the H 1B cap registration period between March 1 and March 20, 2020, were selected in the H1B lottery 2021.

H 1B Cap for the Fiscal Year 2022:

Regular Cap of applicants – 65000

Advanced or Master’s Cap – 20,000

Masters Cap vs. Regular H1B Visa: The Key Differences

The key difference between the Masters Versus Regular H-1B Cap is that the Masters is reserved for people who have obtained an advanced degree from a U.S. institution of higher education, while the Regular H-1B Cap is for everybody else. This includes people who have a bachelor’s degree or higher from a foreign institution of higher education. There are other key differences as well.

Being included in the master’s cap for the H1B visa 2022 lottery has the benefit of increasing your probability of getting an additional chance to be chosen for the H1B visa. This is because the normal cap comes first in the present ordering system, followed by the master’s cap. For this reason, a master’s registration increases a person’s chances of receiving an H-1B visa in 2022.

The Masters has an annual numerical limit of 20,000, while the Regular H-1B Cap has a limit of 65,000. The Masters also allows for a “fast track” option for those who had approved their I-526 Petition for Alien Worker. Finally, the Masters is not subject to the H-1B visa quota if the person has obtained a waiver under the national interest or Free Trade Agreement provisions.

What are the Odds of Getting Selected in the H1B Lottery Process?

For H 1B petitions to be selected in the lottery, they must first meet all of the H 1B visa eligibility requirements. If it does, then the petition is entered into the lottery. The odds of a petition being selected in the lottery are approximately 1 in 3.5.

Although the USCIS organization supports around 200,000 H 1B visa petitions every year overall, just 65,000 are allowed visas through the lottery. 20,000 extra petitions are placed into the lottery for advanced degree exception, which grants visas to candidates with higher education, such as Masters’, Ph.D. degree or higher.

How to Check Your Selection Status for H 1B Visa Lottery 2022?

If you have applied for an H 1B Visa in the past, you will be familiar with the registration process and check your status online. However, if this is your first time applying, don’t worry; it’s very simple. Just go to the USCIS website and enter your 13-digit case number. Once you have done that, you will be able to see the status of your application. There are a couple of ways one can check their H 1B lottery results and application status.

1. Confirm if USCIS processed your fee check

Probably the simplest way is to check whether USCIS credited your H1B lottery application fee check and filing fees. All petitions that are not chosen have their fee refunded, so if USCIS cashed in your check, that is one sign that your petition was picked.

2. Through 13 Digit Receipt Number

Another way is to check whether your employer got a 13-digit receipt number. This is sent to them after your petition has been chosen. On the off chance that they didn’t get one, then, at that point, you were not chosen. When your employer gets your 13-digit number, go to USCIS Case Status Tool Online. Enter the case number, and it ought to let you know the status.

3. Through I-797 Form

Lottery victors all get a stamped I-797 Form from Immigration and Naturalization Services to demonstrate they’ve been selected in the visa lottery.

4. Through SEVIS

Applicants under the Advanced degree cap or the Master’s cap can check their selection status by checking under SEVIS – Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. This is the second quickest way to check if you were selected, as the records are updated immediately upon the student’s selection for the H1B lottery. 

5. Through NVC

The last way to check is through the National Visa Center or NVC. The NVC is responsible for handling all immigrant visa applications after they have been selected in the H 1B lottery and ensuring that they meet all requirements before being scheduled for an interview at a US Embassy or Consulate.

What does Your H 1B Status Mean on the USCIS Portal?

Once you get access to the USCIS portal and login into your case status access, you will see one of the following statuses next to your case petitions:

• Selected: Well done! This means that your application was selected in the lottery. Your employer needs to file the I-129 petition after April 1st, 2022, and before the filing deadline mentioned on your case file. Your employer would receive a 13-digit number, which confirms your selection.
• Submitted: Worry not! This means that the USCIS is still considering your application. Your case has not been selected, but neither has it been rejected. This status could be shown until the end of the fiscal year for which you applied.
• Wait Listed: In case of being ‘Wait Listed,’ there are chances, although not high, that you may be allotted the visa, as USCIS has admitted in the past that they anticipate applications to be withdrawn or rejected on a later date.
• Not Selected: Unfortunately, you were not selected, and this status could be displayed until the end of the fiscal year. This makes the applicant not eligible to file an H 1B petition. You could still opt to reapply in the next fiscal year so cheer up!
• Denied: This means that your visa application was denied for reasons unsure. The USCIS will provide clarification on the same.

After the fiscal year is over, all filed applications and petitions are changed to ‘Not Selected,’ whether it be ‘Submitted’ or ‘Waitlisted.’

What’s Next if You Get Selected in H1 B Lottery?

If your registration in the H-1B 2022 lottery is chosen, your employer will be required to file an I-129 petition on your behalf to proceed to the adjudication stage, which means it will be processed.

Your H-1B case will be approved or denied/rejected by a reviewing immigration officer. If your application is approved, you will have two options: 

• As soon as you start working, wait until October 1, 2022, for USCIS to activate your H-1B status. This option is only accessible if you are already in the United States on a nonimmigrant visa and can keep it until you start working. 
• If you are applying from the outside USA, you must schedule an appointment with the US Consulate or Embassy in your home country and complete consular processing.

H1B Visa Lottery 2023 Registration

USCIS will start taking H1B petition registrations that are subject to the Fiscal Year 2023 quota. FY 2023 H1B petition recipients will be permitted to begin employment in the United States on October 1, 2022.

While March 1st might seem far off right now, seasoned employers will attest that it will arrive before you even realize it. You risk missing the bus if you don’t start making preparations for your FY 2023 H1B files right away.

Key points to keep in mind before applying for H1B visa lottery 2023: 

1. The total number of new H1B petitions granted annually is capped. The H1B Cap is the name of this annual cap.
2. The H1B category’s yearly cap is currently set at 65,000. In addition, those who possess a Master’s degree or higher from the United States are eligible for an additional 20,000 H1B visas.
3. On March 1, 2023, the H1B visa 2023 cap registration period will commence. Employers are required to complete an electronic registration process and submit basic data for each employee. On October 1, 2022, the beneficiaries of granted H1B cap applications may begin employment in the United States under the H1B status.
4. Employers who fail to submit H1B petitions in 2022 will not have another opportunity to do so until March 2023, and they will not be permitted to hire new workers through the H1B program until October 1, 2023.
5. Employers must start planning their March 2022 H1B registrations now to prevent this unwanted scenario. Ensure that the H1B registrations will be prepared for submission by March 1st. Boosting the possibility that their petitions will be taken up for consideration by USCIS.

Why your Visa Might be Denied?

There are a number of reasons why your visa might be denied. The most common reason is that your employer did not provide all the data required for your application.

Other reasons include providing false information, criminal convictions, or posing a threat to national security. If your visa is denied, you will be given a written explanation of the reason for the denial. You can then either reapply or appeal the decision.

USCIS will refund your H 1B lottery petition and filing fees in case you were not selected. But in case of denial for duplication or false information, USCIS will not return it.

If you have been selected in the H 1B lottery, congratulations! You are one step closer to working in the United States. However, remember to check your status regularly and make sure you meet all the requirements before your interview. Good luck!

What are Premium Processing and Cap-exempt Petitions?

H 1B registration process can be long, and hence, there are two ways to bypass or speed up the process of applying and petitioning for an H1B visa.

Premium Processing:

An Employment-based petition or application can be accelerated via the premium processing service, which takes about 15 days. The cost of the service is $2,500, which the employer must pay. 

It’s crucial to remember that paying for premium processing merely shortens the time it takes for your I-129 petition to be processed. It does not protect you from the cap, nor does it guarantee you a spot in the H-1B lottery in 2022. If your petition is approved, your start date will be October 1, 2022, as it is for all other applicants.

Cap Exempt Petitions:

A petition that was previously counted against the cap by USCIS is considered Cap Exempt. 

It can also be one that was used as a way to extend the H 1B workers’ time in the US or to change the terms. Even if the petitioner is already counted against the annual quota, USCIS does not require some occupations with qualified workers to be subject to it. 

However, there are three major categories of vocations that are automatically considered cap exempt: 

• Jobs in a higher education institution 
• Positions with non-profit organizations affiliated with a higher education institution 
• Government research positions.

An employer can apply for an H1B Cap Exempt Visa even if they do not meet these requirements, such as being a nonprofit organization, as an alternative. Any H 1B eligible post at a cap-exempt institution is exempt from the cap.

Alternative Visas to Apply for, In Case of Rejection by H1B Visa

With the results for the H1B lottery 2022 out, many of the petitions might not be selected or denied by the USCIS. Applicants not selected can either wait for the next fiscal year, which is FY 2023, to again file the H1B lottery or opt to seek alternative visa options to secure employment and residency in the US. Some alternatives to the H 1B visa are:

Country-Specific Visas:

Through particular trade treaties with individual nations, the US has produced employment visas that are very similar to the H 1B but are only available to citizens of the country to which the treaty applies.

Citizens of Canada and Mexico are eligible for the Trade NAFTA (TN) visa. Australian citizens are eligible for the E-3 visa. The H 1B1 visa is only available to Chilean and Singaporean citizens. Each treaty has its own set of standards and perks, and these visas may be superior to the H1B visa in some instances.

Investor Visas:

The investor (E) visa allows people from countries with which the United States has signed a trade treaty to come to the United States to create or buy a business that will benefit the American economy.

The E investor visa allows the major E investor to bring key staff from the same nation to the United States to help the company. On its Visa Reciprocity webpage, the US State Department lists the nations with which the US has signed an appropriate trade deal.

MNC Executive/Manager & Specialised Visas:

The multinational worker (L) visa allows certain employees of a multinational company with an affiliated office in the United States to transfer to the US office if they have worked in the multinational company’s foreign office for at least one year of the three years prior to entering the United States.

File for a Permanent Residency/Green Card Directly:

Filing for an employment-based green card may be a viable alternative for some firms and their international staff. Employers typically seek to hire a foreign worker on H-1B status and subsequently sponsor the employee for a green card. However, it is also feasible to obtain a green card without first obtaining an H1B visa.

This option may be suitable for foreign workers with a master’s degree OR a bachelor’s degree and five years of experience who are neither Chinese nor Indian nationals. Even those with a bachelor’s degree from a nation other than China or India may find this option appealing.

Unfortunately, this straight green card application option may not be suitable for citizens of India or China.

Tips For the Next Application Deadline: H-1B Visa Lottery Submission Guidelines

Since the deadline for this year’s application and petition has gone by, here are some helpful tips to gear and prepare you for applying for your H1B visa in the year 2023. These are helpful tips to file your petition correctly and improve your chances of selection.

1. Timely Submissions

The H1B visa is special in that it has specified dates that must be adhered to qualify. Therefore, the earlier you are to submit H 1B registrations, the better your chances are for selection. The registration period begins somewhere around February, and the petitions start filing in the first week of way.

2. File with Multiple Employers

USICS will reject multiple registrations for the same employee if the same employer submits them. The employee, on the other hand, can have multiple registrations from different employers.

This can greatly improve your chances of winning the lotto. Additionally, a single employer can submit registrations for several employees as long as each employee has just one registration.

3. Part-time Work

The H1B visa is not only valid for full-time workers but also valid for those who want to work part-time.

4. Avoid Common Mistakes

Avoiding these common mistakes and errors could ensure a better approval rate for your H1B petition.

• Check the service center that will receive your petition three times. Sending it to the incorrect center can cause a significant delay in approval. 
• When submitting your petition, make sure to utilize an allowed distribution method. You can employ bonded delivery services such as USPS, FedEx, and UPS. 
• Work with your immigration attorney to make sure your work description is detailed enough in your petition. 
• Processing delays may occur if you combine your fee payments into one check. Be sure to write separate checks for each payment. 
• Ensure that your I-129 start date is correct and does not contain any mistakes or typos.
• Many people make a mistake in thinking that purchasing premium processing will secure them a spot in the lottery or otherwise increase their chances. This is not true. This feature only causes your I-129 to be processed in 15 days and does not change your employment start date.
• Make sure that the employer pays all mandatory fees. Should the USCIS learn that the employee paid these fees after the visa had been issued, there is a possibility the H1B could be revoked.

5. Consider Alternatives to H1B

If you did not qualify for the H1B or want to secure a spot in the USA with surety, it is advisable to look at other options you might have. In the subsection mentioned above, you will find some alternatives you can opt for.

H1B Second Lottery 2022

Due to an unmet H-1B quota of 85,000 for FY 2022, an H1B second lottery 2022  will being held. The initial filing period, from April 1 to June 30, 2021, did not yield enough H-1B cap petitions to fill the limit. Just 87,500 of the 308,613 registrations were drawn in the inaugural FY 2022 lottery by USCIS to achieve the 85,000 requirement/cap, representing 28 percent of the total number of registrants. In contrast, just 124,415 registrations, or 45 percent, of the 274,237 FY 2021 H-1B cap registrations received in 2020 were chosen. The number of new registrations being chosen in the second lottery is unknown.

H1B lottery results 2022 second round has not been announced as of now. Three rounds of selections were conducted last year, and USCIS certified that the H-1B selections were finished on February 28, 2022. Although it is possible, the selection process will most likely not start until July 2022.

Frequently asked Questions