Petitioners and attorneys: check your USCIS accounts! USCIS announced a second round of selections for the FY 2022 H-1B lottery. Petitioners can file H-1B petitions for the selected registrations beginning on August 2, 2021 and closing on November 3, 2021.

UPDATE 7/29/2021: USCIS is experiencing technical difficulties with attorney accounts, making the attorneys unable to check the status of the H-1B registrations. Some law firms have reported that USCIS accounts are still accessible to employers. If an additional selection was made, the employer would also have received an email notification from USCIS.

From USCIS

In March 2021, USCIS conducted an initial random selection on properly submitted electronic registrations for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 H-1B cap, including for beneficiaries eligible for the advanced degree exemption. Per regulation, we use historical data related to approvals, denials, revocations, and other relevant factors to calculate the number of registrations needed to meet the H-1B cap for a given fiscal year. Only those petitioners with selected registrations for FY 2022 are eligible to file H-1B cap-subject petitions. The initial filing period for those with selected registrations for FY 2022 was from April 1, 2021, through June 30, 2021.

We recently determined that we needed to select additional registrations to reach the FY 2022 numerical allocations. On July 28, we selected previously submitted electronic registrations using a random selection process. The petition filing period based on registrations selected on July 28 will begin on Aug. 2 and close on Nov. 3. Individuals with selected registrations will have their myUSCIS accounts updated to include a selection notice, which includes details of when and where to file.

An H-1B cap-subject petition must be properly filed at the correct service center and within the filing period indicated on the relevant registration selection notice. Online filing is not available for H-1B petitions. Petitioners filing H-1B petitions must do so by paper and must include a printed copy of the applicable registration selection notice with the FY 2022 H-1B cap-subject petition.

Registration selection only indicates that petitioners are eligible to file H-1B cap-subject petitions; it does not indicate that the petition will be approved. Petitioners filing H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those petitions eligible for the advanced degree exemption, must still submit evidence and establish eligibility for petition approval based on existing statutory and regulatory requirements.

For more information, visit the H-1B Cap Season page.

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