Mahesh Babu Munjala, a native of India who works with data and AI at a biopharmaceutical company in Florida, felt lucky to win the highly-coveted H-1B visa lottery in 2017. It was his third try to get the skilled worker permit after his student visa expired shortly after graduating with a Master’s in computer science.
Only 30% to 40% of employer-sponsored applicants typically succeed each year in getting H-1Bs, which last up to six years and are issued to only 85,000 people annually. In 2024, the approval rate was even lower: 26%.
