The H-1B visa lottery is an annual process by which the United States government randomly selects 85,000 people to receive H-1B visas, which allow them to work in the US for up to six years in a specialty occupation. The lottery is open to foreign workers who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a US university or its equivalent, or who have at least 12 years of experience in a specialty occupation.
The H-1B visa lottery is highly competitive, with more than 230,000 people applying for the 85,000 visas each year. In recent years, the lottery has been oversubscribed by more than 3:1, meaning that only about one in three applicants is selected.
