US Citizen and Immigration Services announced it will conduct a second random selection for regular H-1B visas from previously submitted fiscal 2025 H-1B cap registrations.

The agency previously announced that it received enough electronic petitions to reach both the 65,000 cap for regular H-1B visas and the 20,000 cap for advanced degree exemption visas for fiscal year 2025. Starting with those petitions, a new final rule applied containing provisions to create a “beneficiary-centric” selection process for registrations by employers aimed at preventing H-1B candidates from submitting multiple applications. It requires registrants to provide valid passport information or travel document information for each beneficiary. Each beneficiary must only be registered under one passport or travel document.

Since that April 1 announcement, the agency has determined that additional H-1B selections are necessary to meet the regular cap limit of 65,000 visas for fiscal 2025. It will soon carry out a second random selection from the previously submitted electronic registrations and notify employers and their legal counsel of any new selections. Those notified will be eligible to file petitions for the applicable workers.

Separately, Bloomberg reported some outsourcing and staffing firms are gaming the H-1B visa system.