USCIS reformed H-1B selection with the FY25 process: the lottery is now run per beneficiary, so each candidate is selected at most once no matter how many employers register them. Here's what that changed, what recent selection rates have looked like, and who skips the lottery entirely.
Starting with the FY25 process, USCIS selects each unique beneficiary at most once, regardless of how many employers register for them. That ended the old strategy of registering the same candidate through several related entities to multiply their chances — duplicate registrations no longer improve odds. If you see advice suggesting you register a candidate multiple times to boost selection, it's out of date.
Because selection is now counted per unique beneficiary, the meaningful odds figure is the share of registered candidates who get picked. That rate moves year to year with how many registrations come in against the fixed cap. In the most recent cycle it ran in the high-teens percent — roughly one in five or six registered candidates selected. USCIS announces the selection rate after each March lottery, so treat any single year's number as a snapshot, not a fixed probability.
With selection well below 50%, a cap-subject hire should not be treated as a sure thing — plan a bridge in case the candidate isn't selected: OPT or STEM OPT for recent graduates, an H-1B-portable transfer from someone who already holds status, or an L-1 path where the candidate qualifies. Registering more than one candidate for a role, or reapplying in a future cycle, are the legitimate ways to improve your chances — not multiple registrations for the same person, which no longer help.
Universities, affiliated nonprofit research organizations, and government research organizations file H-1Bs year-round outside the cap — the lottery doesn't apply to them at all, and they don't go through the cap registration process. If your hire fits one of these structures, the lottery is moot.
Reflects guidance current as of May 2026: per-beneficiary selection has applied since the FY25 process. Selection rules and rates change annually — verify current registration rules and the latest selection rate on uscis.gov. This guide is educational and not legal or immigration advice; see our disclaimer.
Sources: USCIS H-1B electronic registration process and cap-selection announcements (FY25 per-beneficiary rule); USCIS H-1B specialty-occupation program; DOL OFLC prevailing-wage levels.