Does the USCIS refund the H-1B lottery fee if you are not selected?

As a general rule, the fee paid to register for the H-1B lottery is not refunded when an entry is not selected. This payment covers the cost of registering and processing your application, not the approval of a visa, so it is not tied to the outcome of the drawing.

It helps to understand the logic: the lottery is the step that determines which entries may then go on to submit a full petition. Those who are not selected simply do not advance in that cycle, but the administrative cost of the registration has already been consumed by the processing.

• The registration payment covers the processing of the entry, not the outcome.
• Not being selected does not, as a general rule, entitle you to a refund of that amount.
• You may try again in a subsequent cycle by resubmitting your registration.

Fee rules and refund policies can change from one cycle to the next, so confirm the current amounts and conditions directly on the USCIS website before registering, or speak with a specialist to plan your participation.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.