H-1B applications plunge 40% as US cracks down on fraud entries

In its initial list, USCIS said it has selected 114,017 beneficiaries, resulting in 120,603 selected registrations for FY25 H-1B cap.

The number of visa applications for the US by skilled workers have seen a significant decline this year after the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) employed strict measures to check fraudulent entries, a report by the Associated Press said.

The lottery bids for the H-1B visa plunged to 470,342, down 38 percent from 758,994 last year, USCIS said in the report. The lottery was held in the last week of March.

Major tech firms, who send many of their employees each year to the US, had complained that the hike in number of applications has left them with low chances of winning the lottery. Soon after, the USCIS said it will make changes to the system and allow only one application per person, irrespective of the number of jobs on offer. According to the report, the number of entries tripled between 2021 and 2023 after the US government removed the requirement of mailing all the required documents. The introduction of the new rules led to an applicant filing entries for 83 job offers, the report said.

In its initial list, USCIS said it has selected 114,017 beneficiaries, resulting in 120,603 selected registrations for FY25 H-1B cap.

“This year, USCIS took measures to secure the H-1B registration process. Our initial data suggests that there were far fewer attempts than last year to gain an unfair advantage owing in large measure to the implementation of the beneficiary-centric selection process.

This year, USCIS took measures to secure the H-1B registration process. Our initial data suggests that there were far fewer attempts than last year to gain an unfair advantage owing in large measure to the implementation of the beneficiary-centric selection process. (2/6)

— USCIS (@USCIS) April 30, 2024

The US agency said it has undertaken an overhaul of the lottery system to ensure that all the applicants have a fair shot. It said that a few firms were found to be working in tandem to submit multiple bids for the same applicant.

“Based on evidence from the FY 2023 and FY 2024 H-1B cap seasons, we have already undertaken thorough fraud investigations, denied and revoked petitions accordingly, and continue to make law enforcement referrals for criminal prosecution.” USCIS said in a post on social media platform X.

Further, the agency informed that it is reviewing its FY25 data for any unfair advantage and will take necessary actions if anyone was found to game the system by revoking applications.