The H-1B visa program allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. The H-1B lottery is a random selection process used to allocate H-1B visas each year. The lottery is open to employers who file H-1B petitions on behalf of foreign workers who meet certain eligibility requirements.
The H-1B lottery is highly competitive, and the chances of being selected are low. In recent years, the lottery has received more than 200,000 petitions for just 85,000 available visas. This means that only about 42% of petitions are selected.