On July 30, 2024, the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would need to select additional registrations to reach the FY 2025 regular cap numerical allocation.

Shortly (no timeline given), USCIS will select additional registrations for beneficiaries from previously submitted electronic registrations using a random selection process. USCIS will announce when it has completed this second lottery.

USCIS will not be conducting a second selection for the advanced degree exemption (the master’s cap), as enough master’s cap registrations were already selected and sufficient petitions were received based on those registrations to meet the FY 2025 masters cap numerical allocation of 20,000.

However, the second lottery round for the regular cap will include previously submitted registrations for individuals eligible for the master’s cap along with those that are only eligible for the regular cap.

Those with selected registrations will have their USCIS online accounts updated to include a selection notice, which will include details of when and where to file.