US to conduct rare 2nd lottery for H-1B visa applicants

The US will conduct a rare second lottery for the H-1B visa to decide on the successful applicants, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced, a move which would provide another chance to hundreds of Indian IT professionals who could not make it in the first random selection.

The USCIS said that a decision was taken after determining that the computerised draw of lots for H-1B visas conducted early this year did not give them enough number of Congressional mandated H-1B visas.

The H-1B visa, most sought-after among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.