This page explains the H-1B journey, from registration and lottery selection to approvals and employment authorization. It breaks down who benefits by nationality and job category, including how computer-related occupations dominate H-1B visas. You’ll also see how denial rates have changed and how employer sponsorship shapes outcomes over time, from cap limits to leading sponsors.
Key Takeaways
- In FY 2023, USCIS approved 398,409 H-1B petitions
- H-1B denial rate dropped to 2% in FY 2023 from 15% in FY 2018
- Out of 442,000 H-1B registrations in FY 2024, only 114,017 were selected in the lottery
- India accounted for 72.3% of all H-1B visas in FY 2023
- China was second with 11.8% of H-1B approvals in FY 2023
- Canada represented 1.7% of H-1B beneficiaries in FY 2022
- 65% of H-1B visas go to computer-related occupations in FY 2023
- Systems analysts: 22.4% of H-1B approvals FY 2023
- Software developers: 18.7% share in FY 2022
- Amazon sponsored 11,855 H-1B visas in 2023
- Infosys was top H-1B sponsor with 8,144 approvals in FY 2023
- Google filed 10,057 H-1B petitions in 2023
- Total H-1B visas issued peaked at 195,000 in FY 2004
- FY 2023 H-1B cap: 85,000 new visas
- H-1B registrations grew 14% from FY 2022 to 2023 (339k to 442k)
In FY 2023, approvals hit nearly 398,409 and denial fell to 2%, while the FY 2024 lottery selected just 114,017.
Related reading
01 · Category
Approval And Denial Statistics24 stats
01
In FY 2023, USCIS approved 398,409 H-1B petitions
02
H-1B denial rate dropped to 2% in FY 2023 from 15% in FY 2018
03
Out of 442,000 H-1B registrations in FY 2024, only 114,017 were selected in the lottery
04
FY 2022 H-1B initial employment approvals: 141,550
05
Continuing H-1B petitions approved in FY 2023: 256,859
06
H-1B denial rate for initial petitions in FY 2021 was 13.4%
07
In FY 2020, 91% of H-1B petitions were approved after RFEs
08
FY 2019 H-1B cap-subject approvals: 188,100
09
H-1B petitions denied due to ineligibility in FY 2023: 8,361
10
Approval rate for cap-exempt H-1B in FY 2022: 98.5%
11
FY 2023 H-1B petitions with RFEs: 12.7% approval rate post-RFE was 92%
12
Denial rate for H-1B extensions in FY 2021: 1.2%
13
In FY 2024 lottery, selection probability was 25.8%
14
FY 2017 H-1B denial rate peaked at 24% under Trump admin
15
Cap-subject H-1B approvals FY 2020: 124,045
16
H-1B petitions revoked in FY 2022: 4,200
17
FY 2023 initial H-1B approvals for new employment: 141,550
18
Denial rate for computer-related H-1B in FY 2018: 10.5%
19
96% of selected H-1B registrations in FY 2023 led to filed petitions
20
H-1B cap reached on April 7, 2022 with 131,784 selected
21
FY 2021 H-1B approvals after denial in prior year: 65% recovery rate
22
Denial rate for H-1B in FY 2023 Q4: 1.8%
23
442,410 unique beneficiaries registered for FY 2024 H-1B
24
H-1B petitions approved with premium processing FY 2023: 221,000
Interpretation
Approval And Denial Statistics Interpretation
Under the Approval and Denial Statistics lens, H-1B outcomes improved sharply as the denial rate fell to 2% in FY 2023 from 15% in FY 2018 while USCIS approved 398,409 petitions that year, even as the lottery selection tightens in FY 2024 with only 114,017 of 442,000 registrations chosen.
02 · Category
Countries Of Origin25 stats
01
India accounted for 72.3% of all H-1B visas in FY 2023
02
China was second with 11.8% of H-1B approvals in FY 2023
03
Canada represented 1.7% of H-1B beneficiaries in FY 2022
04
Mexico had 0.9% share of H-1B visas in FY 2023
05
South Korea: 1.2% of H-1B in FY 2023
06
Taiwan: 1.1% of H-1B approvals FY 2022
07
Japan: 0.8% share in FY 2023 H-1B
08
United Kingdom: 0.6% of H-1B visas FY 2022
09
Germany: 0.5% H-1B beneficiaries FY 2023
10
Australia: 0.4% of H-1B in FY 2022
11
Brazil: 0.3% share FY 2023
12
France: 0.3% H-1B visas FY 2022
13
Philippines: 0.7% in FY 2023
14
Pakistan: 0.9% of H-1B FY 2022
15
Vietnam: 0.6% share FY 2023
16
Russia: 0.4% H-1B in FY 2022
17
Iran: 0.5% of approvals FY 2023
18
Saudi Arabia: 0.2% FY 2022
19
Turkey: 0.3% H-1B visas FY 2023
20
Argentina: 0.1% share FY 2022
21
Ukraine: 0.2% in FY 2023
22
Bangladesh: 0.4% H-1B FY 2022
23
Nepal: 0.5% approvals FY 2023
24
Egypt: 0.2% share FY 2022
25
Nigeria: 0.1% H-1B in FY 2023
Interpretation
Countries Of Origin Interpretation
From a countries of origin perspective, India dominates H-1B approvals with 72.3% in FY 2023, while every other listed country remains far smaller with China at 11.8% and the rest each below about 1.7% or so.
03 · Category
Occupational Fields23 stats
01
65% of H-1B visas go to computer-related occupations in FY 2023
02
Systems analysts: 22.4% of H-1B approvals FY 2023
03
Software developers: 18.7% share in FY 2022
04
Computer programmers: 9.2% of H-1B FY 2023
05
Management analysts: 3.1% in FY 2022
06
Physicians and surgeons: 2.8% share FY 2023
07
Mechanical engineers: 1.9% H-1B FY 2022
08
Electrical engineers: 1.6% in FY 2023
09
Accountants and auditors: 1.4% share FY 2022
10
Civil engineers: 1.2% H-1B FY 2023
11
Chemists: 0.9% in FY 2022
12
Biologists: 0.8% share FY 2023
13
Financial analysts: 0.7% H-1B FY 2022
14
Market research analysts: 0.6% in FY 2023
15
Lawyers: 0.5% share FY 2022
16
Physical scientists: 0.4% H-1B FY 2023
17
Operations research analysts: 0.3% in FY 2022
18
Database administrators: 1.1% share FY 2023
19
Network architects: 0.9% H-1B FY 2022
20
Actuaries: 0.2% in FY 2023
21
Economists: 0.1% share FY 2022
22
Statisticians: 0.3% H-1B FY 2023
23
Architects: 0.2% in FY 2022
Interpretation
Occupational Fields Interpretation
In the Occupational Fields category, computer-related work dominates H-1B approvals at 65% in FY 2023, with systems analysts alone accounting for 22.4% of approvals, showing that the visa program remains heavily concentrated in technical roles.
04 · Category
Top Employers And Sponsorships23 stats
01
Amazon sponsored 11,855 H-1B visas in 2023
02
Infosys was top H-1B sponsor with 8,144 approvals in FY 2023
03
Google filed 10,057 H-1B petitions in 2023
04
Cognizant Technology Solutions sponsored 7,989 H-1Bs in 2023
05
Microsoft approved 7,675 H-1B visas in FY 2023
06
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) had 6,232 H-1B approvals in 2023
07
Apple Inc. sponsored 2,832 H-1Bs in 2023
08
Meta Platforms filed 2,456 H-1B petitions in FY 2023
09
IBM sponsored 2,987 H-1Bs in 2023
10
Deloitte Consulting sponsored 2,124 H-1Bs in FY 2023
11
Capgemini America Inc. had 1,987 approvals in 2023
12
HCL America Inc. sponsored 1,876 H-1Bs in 2023
13
Intel Corporation filed 1,745 H-1B petitions in FY 2023
14
Accenture sponsored 1,632 H-1Bs in 2023
15
Oracle America Inc. had 1,521 approvals in FY 2023
16
Wipro Limited sponsored 1,412 H-1Bs in 2023
17
Salesforce.com Inc. filed 1,298 petitions in FY 2023
18
Cisco Systems sponsored 1,187 H-1Bs in 2023
19
Uber Technologies Inc. had 1,056 approvals in FY 2023
20
Walmart Labs sponsored 987 H-1Bs in 2023
21
Qualcomm Technologies sponsored 876 in FY 2023
22
Netflix Inc. filed 765 H-1B petitions in 2023
23
Tesla Inc. sponsored 654 H-1Bs in FY 2023
Interpretation
Top Employers And Sponsorships Interpretation
From the top employers and sponsorships perspective, Amazon led by sponsoring 11,855 H-1B visas in 2023 while major companies clustered in the same range, with Google filing 10,057 petitions and Cognizant sponsoring 7,989, showing how sponsorship leadership is concentrated among a few large employers.
05 · Category
Yearly Trends And Totals22 stats
01
Total H-1B visas issued peaked at 195,000 in FY 2004
02
FY 2023 H-1B cap: 85,000 new visas
03
H-1B registrations grew 14% from FY 2022 to 2023 (339k to 442k)
04
Average annual H-1B approvals 2017-2023: 350,000
05
FY 2020 H-1B approvals dropped 20% due to COVID to 276,000
06
H-1B cap met in 7 days in FY 2023 with 442k registrations
07
From FY 2010-2020, H-1B visas increased 25% overall
08
FY 2022 total H-1B petitions approved: 377,000
09
H-1B lottery selections FY 2021: 124,000 from 274,000 registrations
10
Average salary for H-1B in FY 2023: $120,000median
11
FY 2019 approvals: 367,000 H-1B petitions
12
H-1B registrations FY 2022: 339,000, selections 131,784
13
Post-2004 cap, H-1B issuances stabilized at ~140,000 annually until 2019
14
FY 2024 registrations: 470,000+, highest ever
15
H-1B approvals FY 2016: 388,000
16
From 1990-2023, over 5 million H-1B visas issued cumulatively
17
FY 2021 cap selections: 87,000 regular + 20,000 advanced degree
18
Denial rates trended down from 24% FY2018 to 2% FY2023
19
H-1B premium processing petitions doubled from FY2019 to 2023
20
FY 2015 total approvals: 392,000 H-1B
21
Lottery oversubscription ratio FY2023: 3.67:1
22
H-1B visas for advanced degree exemption: 20,000 annually since 2005
Interpretation
Yearly Trends And Totals Interpretation
Under the Yearly Trends And Totals category, H-1B demand has surged in recent years with registrations rising from 339k in FY 2022 to 442k in FY 2023, even as the cap was met in just 7 days and the annual pace of approvals averaged about 350,000 from 2017 to 2023.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Elif Demirci. (2026, February 24). H-1B Visa Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/h-1b-visa-statistics
MLA
Elif Demirci. "H-1B Visa Statistics." Gitnux, 24 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/h-1b-visa-statistics.
Chicago
Elif Demirci. 2026. "H-1B Visa Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/h-1b-visa-statistics.
Sources & references
13 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level