H-1B Visa Fiscal Year 2024 Season

The demand for H-1B visas continues to increase, and Fiscal Year (FY) 2024’s registrations will likely hit a new record. The reality is that demand is high—the previous H-1B FY 2023 season received 484,000 registrations for an available quota of 85,000.

An H-1B Visa is the most sought-after visa if you plan to work in the US as a professional. If you are planning to register for an H-1B visa for FY 2024H-1B, you need to be informed so you can plan ahead and give yourself the best chance.

As a reminder, the USCIS Fiscal Year 2024 starts on October 1, 2023, and ends on September 30, 2The demand for H-1B visas continues to increase, and Fiscal Year (FY) 2024’s registrations will likely hit a new record. The reality is that demand is high—the previous H-1B FY 2023 season received 484,000 registrations for an available quota of 85,000.

An H-1B Visa is the most sought-after visa if you plan to work in the US as a professional. If you are planning to register for an H-1B visa for FY 2024H-1B, you need to be informed so you can plan ahead and give yourself the best chance.

As a reminder, the USCIS Fiscal Year 2024 starts on October 1, 2023, and ends on September 30, 2024.

What is an H-1B Visa?
The H-1B Visa is issued so companies in the USA can employ skilled professionals from other countries. An H-1B visa to work in the US can be extended to any person with the required skills and at least a bachelor’s degree.

The US Congress has set a quota of 85,000 H-1B visas that can be issued annually. The new H-1B visas that are filed are called cap-subject H-1B visas. As the demand for H-1B visas is growing continuously, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced a random selection process called the H-1B Visa Lottery to select the visa applicants who will meet the annual quota cap.

H-1B Eligibility
March 1, 2023 marks the first day that the USCIS will accept H-1B registrations for FY 2024 (which starts on October 1, 2023). Under the USCIS’s H-1B Registration Rule, employers wishing to file an H-1B cap petition are required to submit an H-1B electronic registration for each worker during a registration period that is likely to be open between March 1 and March 18, 2023. As mentioned, March 1, 2023 marks the beginning of the race for getting an H-1B visa before the cap is reached.

The employer must demonstrate the following in order to sponsor a foreign national for an H-1B visa:

1. The position meets the specialty occupation
2. The foreign employee has a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in a field related to the job, and if required by state law, an unrestricted state license, registration, or certification that permits the foreign worker to fully practice the specialty occupation and be immediately engaged in that specialty in the state of intended employment.
3. The employer got the certified labor condition application (LCA) from the US Department of Labor, in which the employer demonstrated, specifically, that it will pay the foreign employee the greater of either the actual or the prevailing wage.

What is H-1B Visa Fiscal Year 2024 Season?
New H-1B Visas are granted as per the USCIS Fiscal Year (FY). USCIS’s FY is different from the calendar year, as the beginning and end period are not January and December, respectively. The USCIS Fiscal Year 2024 begins on October 1st, 2023, and completes on September 30th, 2024.

The H-1B FY 2024 season (the entire period from the beginning registration submissions to working in the US on an H-1B visa) is for employers planning to hire H-1B foreign workers to work in the US starting from October 1st, 2024.

H-1B Visa Lottery 2024
Due to the high demand for H-1B visas, the H-1B Visa Lottery was put into place. This process permits the USCIS to randomly select qualified applicants in order to meet the annual cap.

With fewer than 100 days before the likely opening of the H-1B 2024 Visa Lottery portal, it’s vital for you to find an employer early on who is willing to enter your name in the H-1B Lottery electronic portal and submit a 10-dollar, non–refundable registration fee. This could be a new employer, if you are either looking to immigrate to the US or are on an alternative stay here already, or a current employer, if you’re looking to come to the US

As mentioned, in 2023, it is estimated that the H-1B 2024 Visa Lottery electronic portal will open on March 1. In prior years, the H-1B Visa Lottery opened in early March, which is why we expect it to follow the same pattern.

For fiscal year 2024, the H-1B Visa Lottery is just around the corner, so if you’re planning on finding a sponsor to submit an application on your behalf, now is the time to start looking.

H-1B Visa Quota for FY 2024
The H-1B visa has two categories: the regular quota, and the master’s quota. The US Congress’s limit of 85,000 H-1B visas that can be granted per year (the H-1B quota cap) are divided up as follows:

1. Regular Quota: 65,000 visas

2. Master’s Quota: 20,000 visas (only applicants who hold US master’s degrees are qualified under this cap)

One important thing to note is that about 6,800 visas are set aside for the individuals of Chile and Singapore as part of their Free Trade Agreement. These 6,800 visas are categorized as H-1B. Technically, therefore, the total number of H-1B visas is less than 85,000 per year for the H-1B quota. In general, however, Chilean and Singaporean nationals only take a few hundred of them.

Get Help with Our Immigration Attorneys
Do you find the whole H-1B visa process challenging? To take the burden off your shoulders, contact Passage Immigration Law today and discuss your issues with us; we are always ready to help.

An H-1B immigration attorney can come in handy in difficult situations that may arise during the visa application process. They are most needed when you don’t know the application process or just to ensure that everything goes smoothly. While you may get through some stages yourself, an attorney will help simplify the process.

Give us a call today at (503) 427-8243. Or, schedule a one-on-one consultation with one of our lawyers here.024.

What is an H-1B Visa?

The H-1B Visa is issued so companies in the USA can employ skilled professionals from other countries. An H-1B visa to work in the US can be extended to any person with the required skills and at least a bachelor’s degree.

The US Congress has set a quota of 85,000 H-1B visas that can be issued annually. The new H-1B visas that are filed are called cap-subject H-1B visas. As the demand for H-1B visas is growing continuously, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced a random selection process called the H-1B Visa Lottery to select the visa applicants who will meet the annual quota cap.

H-1B Eligibility

March 1, 2023 marks the first day that the USCIS will accept H-1B registrations for FY 2024 (which starts on October 1, 2023). Under the USCIS’s H-1B Registration Rule, employers wishing to file an H-1B cap petition are required to submit an H-1B electronic registration for each worker during a registration period that is likely to be open between March 1 and March 18, 2023. As mentioned, March 1, 2023 marks the beginning of the race for getting an H-1B visa before the cap is reached.

The employer must demonstrate the following in order to sponsor a foreign national for an H-1B visa:

1. The position meets the specialty occupation
2. The foreign employee has a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in a field related to the job, and if required by state law, an unrestricted state license, registration, or certification that permits the foreign worker to fully practice the specialty occupation and be immediately engaged in that specialty in the state of intended employment.
3. The employer got the certified labor condition application (LCA) from the US Department of Labor, in which the employer demonstrated, specifically, that it will pay the foreign employee the greater of either the actual or the prevailing wage.

What is H-1B Visa Fiscal Year 2024 Season?

4. New H-1B Visas are granted as per the USCIS Fiscal Year (FY). USCIS’s FY is different from the calendar year, as the beginning and end period are not January and December, respectively. The USCIS Fiscal Year 2024 begins on October 1st, 2023, and completes on September 30th, 2024.
5. The H-1B FY 2024 season (the entire period from the beginning registration submissions to working in the US on an H-1B visa) is for employers planning to hire H-1B foreign workers to work in the US starting from October 1st, 2024.

H-1B Visa Lottery 2024

Due to the high demand for H-1B visas, the H-1B Visa Lottery was put into place. This process permits the USCIS to randomly select qualified applicants in order to meet the annual cap.

With fewer than 100 days before the likely opening of the H-1B 2024 Visa Lottery portal, it’s vital for you to find an employer early on who is willing to enter your name in the H-1B Lottery electronic portal and submit a 10-dollar, non–refundable registration fee. This could be a new employer, if you are either looking to immigrate to the US or are on an alternative stay here already, or a current employer, if you’re looking to come to the US

As mentioned, in 2023, it is estimated that the H-1B 2024 Visa Lottery electronic portal will open on March 1. In prior years, the H-1B Visa Lottery opened in early March, which is why we expect it to follow the same pattern.

For fiscal year 2024, the H-1B Visa Lottery is just around the corner, so if you’re planning on finding a sponsor to submit an application on your behalf, now is the time to start looking.

H-1B Visa Quota for FY 2024

The H-1B visa has two categories: the regular quota, and the master’s quota. The US Congress’s limit of 85,000 H-1B visas that can be granted per year (the H-1B quota cap) are divided up as follows:

1. Regular Quota: 65,000 visas

2. Master’s Quota: 20,000 visas (only applicants who hold US master’s degrees are qualified under this cap)

One important thing to note is that about 6,800 visas are set aside for the individuals of Chile and Singapore as part of their Free Trade Agreement. These 6,800 visas are categorized as H-1B. Technically, therefore, the total number of H-1B visas is less than 85,000 per year for the H-1B quota. In general, however, Chilean and Singaporean nationals only take a few hundred of them.

Get Help with Our Immigration Attorneys

Do you find the whole H-1B visa process challenging? To take the burden off your shoulders, contact Passage Immigration Law today and discuss your issues with us; we are always ready to help.

An H-1B immigration attorney can come in handy in difficult situations that may arise during the visa application process. They are most needed when you don’t know the application process or just to ensure that everything goes smoothly. While you may get through some stages yourself, an attorney will help simplify the process.

Give us a call today at (503) 427-8243. Or, schedule a one-on-one consultation with one of our lawyers here.