>If that's really the case, challenging the applications is the first deterrent to this sort of behavior. I doubt anything will eliminate 100% of the abuse but

>If that's really the case, challenging the applications is the first deterrent to this sort of behavior. I doubt anything will eliminate 100% of the abuse but if we can cut it significantly, I'd call that a win. The problem is that is not really what is happening. USCIS is challenging nearly every single application with challenges that do not match the requirements for an H1B and then dragging those challenges with red tape. They are probably aware that in the end almost all of these challenges will be won by the applicants. So the (likely intentional) result of this is that many people who won the H1B lottery are now in an awkward situation where their previous work visa has expired but their H1B hasn't started yet because of all of these challenges. So many of those people cannot legally work since there is now a gap in work authorization and are being fired or relocated back to their home country, despite the fact that they would likely have gotten their H1B in the end.