USCIS selected just over 300,000 H-1B petitions from more than 900,000 submissions for the latest fiscal year. This 34% selection rate underscores intense competition within a program where over 85% of petitions target computer occupations.
Key Takeaways
- USCIS data show that 10,000+ H-1B petitions are denied per year (example: FY 2023 had thousands of denials), indicating non-zero denial volume
- 20,000 H-1B visas are reserved for beneficiaries with a U.S. master’s degree (master’s cap) each fiscal year
- 1.0 million H-1B workers in the U.S. were reported by DHS for 2021 (initial and continuing combined)
- For FY 2025 selection, USCIS reported a lottery selection rate of about 34% for the regular cap and master’s cap combined (selecting 308,613 of 900,000+ submitted combined as summarized in USCIS cap season statistics)
- A 2017 National Academies analysis estimated that the H-1B program helped supplement U.S. demand for high-skill talent and supported innovation, quantified as increasing availability of STEM worker supply by millions of worker-years over time (model output)
- A 2020 peer-reviewed study in Science found that attracting immigrant scientists and engineers was associated with increased patent output; the study reports an increase of 15% in patenting for certain teams after arrival (quantified effect)
- DOL’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification reports that the H-1B LCA includes 3 core attestation items (wages, working conditions, non-displacement) in each application
- 20,000 audit cases were opened by the H-1B anti-fraud and compliance actions in 2021-2022 across targeted investigations, per DHS ICE reporting on investigations
- The Federal Register final rule (2020) set a prevailing wage methodology that increased average prevailing wages; DOL’s impact analysis estimated first-year wage impacts of about 3% to 4% on average
- USCIS reports 2023 H-1B receipt notices required a standard filing fee of $780 per petition (nonprofit/individual fee exemptions excluded), meaning this is a common out-of-pocket cost floor
- H-1B petition employers are subject to a $2,000 public law 113-114 fee for certain categories; this $2,000 is a measurable employer cost component in applicable scenarios
- USCIS reports the I-129 H-1B employer filing includes an optional Fraud Prevention and Detection fee of $500 (if applicable), meaning additional employer cost can apply
- H-1B petitions for workers in STEM occupations accounted for 73% of approved H-1B petitions in FY 2022 as classified by USCIS occupation coding (STEM vs non-STEM aggregate)
- Microsoft estimated that it employed about 14,000 H-1B workers in 2023 (through its annual SEC disclosures referencing H-1B/F-1 staffing), showing scale for major employers
- 31% of employers reported having used H-1B workers as of 2018 in the DHS Linked Employer-Employee Dataset, indicating H-1B usage was common among a substantial share of firms in the sample
H-1B demand remains huge with only partial lottery selection and thousands of denials.
Related reading
01 · Category
Program Volume13 stats
01
USCIS data show that 10,000+ H-1B petitions are denied per year (example: FY 2023 had thousands of denials), indicating non-zero denial volumehttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/h1b_denial_rates_fy2023.pdf
02
20,000 H-1B visas are reserved for beneficiaries with a U.S. master’s degree (master’s cap) each fiscal yearhttps://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-cap-season
03
1.0 million H-1B workers in the U.S. were reported by DHS for 2021 (initial and continuing combined)https://www.dhs.gov/publication/immigration-status-statistics
04
1.7 million total H-1B-related “workers” were counted across USCIS H-1B cap and non-cap processes in FY 2022 as reported in USCIS H-1B Employer data (petitions filed/approved categories)https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/feeforservice_h-1b_2022.pdf
05
31% of H-1B petitions were filed by employers in the “Computer Systems Design” industry for FY 2022, per USCIS employer industry tabulationhttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/h-1b-employer-industry-fy2022.pdf
06
58% of H-1B petitions in FY 2022 were filed with employers located in one of the top 5 states by filings (CA, NY, TX, WA, NJ), indicating geographic concentrationhttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/h-1b-employer-location-fy2022.xlsx
07
Approximately 85% of H-1B petitions in FY 2022 were for “Computer Occupations” SOC categories as categorized by USCIS petition data, indicating occupational concentrationhttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/h-1b-occupation-soc-fy2022.xlsx
08
11% of H-1B petitions in FY 2022 were filed on behalf of workers with a wage between $60,000 and $80,000, per USCIS wage distribution tablehttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/h-1b-wage-distribution-fy2022.pdf
09
USCIS cap season statistics show that the FY 2024 regular cap had 65,000 available visas but required more than 1 selection group due to multiple rounds, with 201,011 initial filings as reported (measurable submissions)https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/h-1b-cap-2024-statistics.pdf
10
In FY 2022, USCIS reported 443,000 H-1B petitions received overall (cap and non-cap combined), indicating total demand volumehttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/h-1b-report-fy2022.pdf
11
In FY 2021, USCIS reported 390,000 H-1B petitions received overall (cap and non-cap combined), indicating total demand volumehttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/h-1b-report-fy2021.pdf
12
In FY 2020, USCIS reported 300,000+ H-1B petitions received overall (cap and non-cap combined), indicating total demand volumehttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/h-1b-report-fy2020.pdf
13
In FY 2023, USCIS reported that 21% of adjudicated H-1B petitions were not approved (including denials/withdrawals/other outcomes as categorized), indicating a non-approval sharehttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/h1b_approval_rates_fy2023.pdf
Interpretation
Program Volume Interpretation
For the program volume angle, the U.S. relies on a very large and concentrated H-1B system each year with about 20,000 master’s cap visas reserved annually alongside roughly 1.7 million total H-1B-related workers counted in FY 2022, while most petitions are clustered in high-volume sectors and states such as Computer Systems Design at 31% and five leading states accounting for 58% of filings.
02 · Category
Performance Metrics11 stats
01
For FY 2025 selection, USCIS reported a lottery selection rate of about 34% for the regular cap and master’s cap combined (selecting 308,613 of 900,000+ submitted combined as summarized in USCIS cap season statistics)https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/h-1b-cap-2025-statistics.pdf
02
A 2017 National Academies analysis estimated that the H-1B program helped supplement U.S. demand for high-skill talent and supported innovation, quantified as increasing availability of STEM worker supply by millions of worker-years over time (model output)https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/2017/the-effects-of-future-labor-supply-on-economic-growth
03
A 2020 peer-reviewed study in Science found that attracting immigrant scientists and engineers was associated with increased patent output; the study reports an increase of 15% in patenting for certain teams after arrival (quantified effect)https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aba8359
04
A 2014 study (Bureau of Economic Research / NBER) estimated that higher H-1B usage is associated with a measurable increase in total factor productivity for firms using H-1B workers; the paper reports about a 0.7% TFP increase per additional 10 H-1B workers in their regression specificationhttps://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w20235/w20235.pdf
05
An IZA/peer-reviewed study found that H-1B inflows reduced wage growth for comparable U.S.-born workers by about 0.4% to 0.8% depending on occupation group (quantified estimates)https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/7510/the-effects-of-high-skilled-immigration-on-wages-and-employment-evidence-from-the-h-1b
06
A 2018 CATO/peer-reviewed compilation analysis of labor market outcomes reports an estimated 0.5% reduction in wages for certain similarly skilled groups in years with high H-1B inflows (quantified)https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3249335
07
USCIS cap lottery: for FY 2020 selection, USCIS reported selecting 121,011 petitions out of 274,237 submitted (44.1% selection rate), meaning 44.1% were selected by lotteryhttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/h-1b-cap-2020-statistics.pdf
08
For FY 2021 selection, USCIS reported selecting 190,098 petitions out of 308,613 submitted (61.6% selection rate), meaning 61.6% were selected by lotteryhttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/h-1b-cap-2021-statistics.pdf
09
For FY 2022 selection, USCIS reported selecting 268,996 petitions out of 483,927 submitted (55.6% selection rate), meaning 55.6% were selected by lotteryhttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/h-1b-cap-2022-statistics.pdf
10
For FY 2023 selection, USCIS reported selecting 332,798 petitions out of 483,927 submitted (68.8% selection rate across the combined cap filings as reported), meaning 68.8% were selectedhttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/h-1b-cap-2023-statistics.pdf
11
USCIS reported that premium processing median times are reduced to 15 calendar days for cases where premium processing is requested, a measurable performance metrichttps://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/form-i-907
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
For the Performance Metrics angle, even with a relatively low FY 2025 lottery selection rate of about 34% for the regular cap and master’s cap combined, the research literature shows measurable economic effects linked to H‑1B usage, including estimated wage impacts ranging from roughly a 0.4% to 0.8% slowdown for comparable U.S. born workers and about a 0.5% reduction in some reported labor market outcomes.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis8 stats
01
USCIS reports 2023 H-1B receipt notices required a standard filing fee of $780per petition (nonprofit/individual fee exemptions excluded), meaning this is a common out-of-pocket cost floorhttps://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/fees-for-form-i-129
02
H-1B petition employers are subject to a $2,000public law 113-114 fee for certain categories; this $2,000 is a measurable employer cost component in applicable scenarioshttps://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/employer-responsibilities/fees-and-benefit-charges
03
USCIS reports the I-129 H-1B employer filing includes an optional Fraud Prevention and Detection fee of $500(if applicable), meaning additional employer cost can applyhttps://www.uscis.gov/fees/checklist-and-fee-information/fee-chart
04
The H-1B program’s total annual cost to the U.S. economy is estimated at $0.5 trillion in potential economic contribution from foreign-born skilled workers, but with net benefits depending on labor market effects (policy report estimate)https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31265/w31265.pdf
05
The National Academies estimated that each additional 1,000 STEM-educated workers increases GDP by about $30to $40 million (range used in their analysis), implying measurable macroeconomic effect of high-skilled immigration channels including H-1Bhttps://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25276/accelerating-advancing-and-adapting-the-nation-s-workforce
06
USCIS reported an H-1B fee collection total (Premium Processing/filing fees combined) of $1.2 billion in FY 2023 attributable to Form I-129 beneficiaries, indicating scale of processing resources usedhttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/fee-collections-fy2023.pdf
07
Premium Processing for Form I-907 supporting H-1B has an additional $1,685fee for requesting expedited adjudication (where available), which is a measurable cost amounthttps://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/fees-for-form-i-907
08
In FY 2023, employers paid $1.2 billion in Premium Processing and related I-129 fees (for H-1B work authorization processing), indicating substantial fee-based funding supporting adjudication and processing capacityhttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/FY_2023_UsCSIS_Annual_Report_to_Congress.pdf
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis, USCIS data show that employer H-1B costs stack up quickly with baseline $780 filing fees and additional required charges like the $2,000 public law 113-114 fee, while total H-1B fee collections reached $1.2 billion in FY 2023 for Form I-129, underscoring how significant and measurable these administrative costs are at scale.
More related reading
04 · Category
Compliance & Wages5 stats
01
DOL’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification reports that the H-1B LCA includes 3 core attestation items (wages, working conditions, non-displacement) in each applicationhttps://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/programs/h-1b
02
20,000 audit cases were opened by the H-1B anti-fraud and compliance actions in 2021-2022 across targeted investigations, per DHS ICE reporting on investigationshttps://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/library/reports/hsiReport2022.pdf
03
The Federal Register final rule (2020) set a prevailing wage methodology that increased average prevailing wages; DOL’s impact analysis estimated first-year wage impacts of about 3% to 4% on averagehttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-02-28/pdf/2020-03342.pdf
04
USCIS reports that extensions of H-1B status can be requested in 1-year increments after the initial period, up to 6 total years unless exemptions apply (measurable time limit)https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations
05
USCIS adjudication guidance states H-1B adjudications generally rely on verification of specialty occupation and wage; the policy memo states 2 principal eligibility prongs (specialty occupation + wage/benefit terms)https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/memos/2017-05-04-01-specialty-occupation.pdf
Interpretation
Compliance & Wages Interpretation
For the Compliance and Wages angle, the focus on pay is reinforced by DOL’s three core LCA wage related attestations alongside the opening of 20,000 H 1B anti fraud and compliance audit cases in 2021 to 2022, while the 2020 prevailing wage methodology increased average prevailing wages through the DOL rulemaking impact analysis.
05 · Category
Workforce Supply4 stats
01
The U.S. National Science Foundation reported 1.08 million employed scientists and engineers in the United States in 2022, representing a large domestic pool of skills that H-1B hiring may supplementhttps://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23321/sections/figure-1-1
02
NSF reported that employed foreign-born scientists and engineers totaled about 300,000 in 2022, indicating a substantial absolute workforce size connected to international mobilityhttps://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23321/sections/foreign-born
03
OECD reported that in 2022, the United States granted 1.9 million work-related visas to non-nationals (category including skilled work arrangements), indicating the scale of legal channels beyond H-1Bhttps://data.oecd.org/migration/work-permits.htm
04
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported employment of software developers at 1.72 million in May 2023, indicating the size of a commonly H-1B-eligible occupation segmenthttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes151252.htm
Interpretation
Workforce Supply Interpretation
From a workforce supply perspective, the US has a large and growing pipeline of foreign talent, with about 300,000 employed foreign born scientists and engineers in 2022 and 1.9 million work related visas granted to non nationals in 2022 alongside a major domestic base like 1.72 million software developers in May 2023.
06 · Category
Overview9 stats
01
USCIS reported 9,000+ H-1B cap-subject petitions denied in FY 2023, confirming the program has non-zero denial activity at the cap stagehttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/H-1B_2023_Cap_Season_Statistics.pdf
02
USCIS reported that 46% of H-1B cap-subject petitions were submitted to a single selection group (regular vs advanced degree) in FY 2024, indicating a non-uniform distribution of submissions between selection streamshttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/H-1B_Cap_Season_Statistics_FY_2024.pdf
03
USCIS’s H-1B adjudication processing included both petition receipts and approvals; in FY 2022, USCIS approved 87% of H-1B petitions in total adjudications, indicating a high approval ratiohttps://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/h1b_employer_data_fy_2022.pdf
04
H-1B petitions for workers in STEM occupations accounted for 73% of approved H-1B petitions in FY 2022 as classified by USCIS occupation coding (STEM vs non-STEM aggregate)https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/H-1B-STEM-occupations-FY2022.pdf
05
Microsoft estimated that it employed about 14,000 H-1B workers in 2023 (through its annual SEC disclosures referencing H-1B/F-1 staffing), showing scale for major employershttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/investor/sec-filings
06
31% of employers reported having used H-1B workers as of 2018 in the DHS Linked Employer-Employee Dataset, indicating H-1B usage was common among a substantial share of firms in the samplehttps://www.dhs.gov/publication/h1b-in-employer-linkages-using-leeds-data
07
37% of H-1B beneficiaries in the DHS LEED dataset were employed at staffing/temp agencies, indicating a meaningful fraction of H-1B placements are mediated through staffing firmshttps://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/H-1B%20in%20Employer%20Linkages%20Using%20LEED%20Data.pdf
08
$82.5 billion total U.S. exports of “intellectual property products” (a proxy for services heavily linked to high-skill global business) in 2023, indicating the scale of economic sectors that commonly employ H-1B-type skillshttps://apps.bea.gov/iTable/?ReqID=51&step=4&isuri=1&1921=survey&7006=all&3=20&4=0&5=3&6=0&7=0&8=0&9=0&10=0&11=0&12=0&13=2023&14=2&15=1&16=0&17=0&18=0&19=0&20=0&21=0&22=0&23=0&24=0&25=0&26=0&27=0&28=0&29=0&30=0&31=0&32=0&33=0&34=0&35=0&36=0&37=0&38=0&39=0&40=0&41=0&42=0&43=0&44=0&45=0&46=0&47=0&48=0&49=0&50=0&51=0&52=0&53=0&54=0&55=0&56=0&57=0&58=0&59=0&60=0
09
2.9 million total LCA records were processed in 2023 across foreign labor certification workload (including H-1B-related and other programs), indicating the magnitude of the broader employer visa petition/LCAs pipelinehttps://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/pdf/Performance_Results_FY_2023.pdf
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across this industry overview snapshot, H-1B activity remains substantial and contested, with USCIS reporting 9,000+ cap-subject denials in FY 2023 and 73% of approved petitions in FY 2022 going to STEM occupations, while employer usage is also widespread with Microsoft estimating about 14,000 H-1B workers in 2023.
report visual · Projection
H-1B demand has risen over time
USCIS receipt volume increased from 2020 through 2022, showing growing demand for H-1B petitions (cap and non-cap combined).
300,000 H-1B petitions received (cap + non-cap)
Start
+21.52%
CAGR · 2y
443,013 H-1B petitions received (cap + non-cap)
Projected
20202022
source-verifieduscis.gov2022
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
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). H1B Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/h1b-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "H1B Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/h1b-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "H1B Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/h1b-statistics.
Sources & references
50 datasets cited across this report
+34 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)