BloombergGraphics / 2024-h1b-immigration-data

Bloomberg News obtained data on all H-1B lottery registrations, selections, and petitions for fiscal years 2021 through 2024 after bringing a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security under the Freedom of Information Act.

You can use this repository to reproduce findings featured in our story "Thousands of US Work Visas Are Going to Middlemen Gaming the System". Our methodology is described at the bottom of the article.

Background

This data was produced by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an agency under DHS tasked with adjudicating H-1B petitions. Every April, the USCIS conducts a random lottery to determine which H-1B seekers can submit full visa petitions.

Each row in the data represents a lottery registration, which may or may not correspond to a unique individual because each candidate can have multiple registrations submitted by different employers. Once selected, the employer can submit an H-1B petition on behalf of the beneficiary. In case of a visa petition, the data includes more information about the proposed job, including salary, location, etc.

An approved H-1B petition is necessary for, but does not always result in, an H-1B visa, which is a travel document. After an applicant receives an H-1B approval from the USCIS, they can apply for either an H-1B visa at a US Consulate abroad or an Adjustment of Status with the USCIS if they're already in the US.