H-1B Lottery: What Information Must Be Provided to USCIS for Registration?

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in specialized occupations. Every year, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) receives far more H-1B visa applications than it can grant due to the annual cap on the number of visas available. To handle the high volume of applications, USCIS conducts an automated H-1B lottery via USCIS online registration.

The H-1B lottery is a random selection process that USCIS uses to select which H-1B visa applications will be processed. The lottery is conducted once per year, typically in March, for the upcoming fiscal year (job start date of October of the same year as the lottery is run).

If an applicant’s H-1B visa application is selected in the lottery, it does not guarantee that the applicant will receive the visa. The application must still go through the adjudication process based on the merits.

During the month of March, when H-1B lottery registration opens up (typically first half of march), employers and attorneys prepare information for H-1B registration. So what information is required to register in the H-1B lottery?

Information required to be provided by the employer to register in the H-1B lottery

1. What is the legal name of the prospective petitioning company or organization?
2. What is the Doing Business As name of the prospective petitioning company or organization?
3. What is the employer identification number (EIN) of the prospective petitioning company or organization?
4. What is the primary U.S. office address of the prospective petitioning company or organization? (Street address, city, state, zip code)
5. What is the authorized signatory’s legal name? (first name, middle name, last name)
6. What is the authorized signatory’s title?
7. What is the authorized, signatory’s contact, information? (phone, email address)

Information required to be provided by the employee to register in the H-1B lottery

1. Full name (first, middle and last name)
2. What is the beneficiary’s gender?
3. What is the beneficiary’s date of birth?
4. Are you requesting consideration under the INA 214(g)(5)(C) advanced degree exemption because the beneficiary has earned, or will earn prior to the filing of the petition, a master’s or higher degree from a U.S. institution of higher education?
5. What is the beneficiary’s country of birth?
6. What is the beneficiary’s country of citizenship?
7. What is the beneficiary’s passport number?

Need help with H-1B registration, or have H-1B specific questions? We are here to help! Contact our law office with your inquiry.

March 1st, 2023 update: The H-1B Registration period is open for the 2024 FY: The H-1B Registration period is open from noon ET on March 1, 2023 to noon ET on March 17, 2023. USCIS has clearly stated that submitting an H-1B Registration does not guarantee an H-1B Visa. Submissions are for registration in the H-1B visa lottery only.

If selected, applicants will be provided with filing timeline for submission of H-1B petitions.

H-1B Registrations will NOT be accepted through the U.S. Postal Service.