The lottery isn't a plan.
Play the H-1B properly.

Recent years have run roughly one-in-four for a single registration, varying year to year. That's exactly why we build backup plans — O-1, cap-exempt employment, or a green-card track — alongside any H-1B registration.

This is the most common reason tech workers end up on the O-1 path. If your record is strong, the O-1A has no cap and no lottery — start with an honest eligibility read.

Yes. H-1B portability lets you start with a new employer once a non-frivolous transfer petition is filed — and transfers aren't counted against the cap.

Each person gets one registration per employer with genuine, independent job offers — multiple unrelated employers may each register you, but duplicate or coordinated registrations are barred and policed.

You have a 60-day grace period to find a new sponsor, change status, or depart. A transfer filed within the window lets you keep working — this is one of the most time-critical situations we see.

H-4 spouses can obtain work authorization once you have an approved I-140 or qualify for post-sixth-year extensions — not before, in most cases.

Yes, routinely. The employer needs a genuine employer-employee relationship, the ability to pay the required wage, and a specialty-occupation role — size itself isn't disqualifying.

If an employer will sponsor and the lottery cooperates, H-1B is straightforward. If you lose the lottery, work for yourself, or have a strong public record, the O-1A avoids the cap entirely. Many people run both tracks.