FY 2025 cap season saw USCIS select 124,000+ registrations for filing when only 85,000 H-1B visas are available each fiscal year. That funnel from registrations to selected filings is only part of the picture, since USCIS also reports that not all selected registrants ultimately file petitions. We’ll break down the key cap season pressure points and petition approval outcomes that shape who actually gets to work in the US.
Key Takeaways
- In FY 2023 cap season, USCIS reported that 20,000 master’s cap selections were part of the selection pool with separate master’s and regular selection mechanisms
- In FY 2023 cap season, USCIS received 308,613 registrations and used random selection to determine who could file cap petitions
- Over the past decade, the number of H-1B registrations and cap season demand has repeatedly exceeded the 85,000 cap, as reflected by repeated USCIS cap season reports
- 85,000 H-1B visas are available each fiscal year under the statutory cap (with 65,000 regular and 20,000 for U.S. master’s degree holders)
- In FY 2023, 226,000 H-1B petitions (including initial, continuing, and other categories) were approved, according to USCIS reports of petition-level approvals
- In FY 2022, 219,000 H-1B petitions were approved, according to USCIS petition approval reporting in the annual immigration report
- $4,000 is the ACWIA training fee amount specified for certain H-1B cap petitions as shown in the USCIS fee schedule
- H-1B portability allows certain H-1B beneficiaries to start work for a new employer upon filing a petition and receiving Form I-129 approval notice or upon request (as described in USCIS guidance)
- USCIS requires an H-1B registration fee of $10 for registrants when using the online registration system (as specified for the registration process)
- 58,600 H-1B petitions with requests under the 'master’s cap' were approved in FY 2022, representing a substantial share of H-1B approvals (USCIS petition approval reporting by cap category)
- H-1B workers account for roughly 1% of the overall U.S. workforce in recent estimates, based on total H-1B population relative to total employment
- A 2020 study found that H-1B inflows increased the probability of firms expanding R&D and patenting activity by about 1–2 percentage points compared with similar firms not using H-1B
- H-1B specialty occupation requires a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a specific specialty as a baseline requirement for qualification, per USCIS adjudication standards
- DOL’s LCA process requires employers to certify that the H-1B worker will be paid at least the prevailing wage for the occupation and work location as determined through DOL wage data tools
- In FY 2025 cap season, USCIS selected 124,000+ registrations for filing cap-subject H-1B petitions (selection pool size used for petition filings).
H-1B cap demand has repeatedly overwhelmed 85,000 visas, with hundreds of thousands of registrations driving high selection competition.
Related reading
01 · Category
Selection & Outcomes10 stats
01
In FY 2023 cap season, USCIS reported that 20,000 master’s cap selections were part of the selection pool with separate master’s and regular selection mechanisms[1]
02
In FY 2023 cap season, USCIS received 308,613 registrations and used random selection to determine who could file cap petitions[1]
03
Over the past decade, the number of H-1B registrations and cap season demand has repeatedly exceeded the 85,000 cap, as reflected by repeated USCIS cap season reports[1]
04
In FY 2024 cap season, USCIS received 340,000+ registrations and selected registrants for the 85,000 cap slots, creating a selection funnel measured from registrations to selected filings[1]
05
USCIS reported that not all selected H-1B registrants file a petition, requiring additional selection rounds in some cap seasons[1]
06
In FY 2022 cap season, USCIS received 191,000 registrations and used random selection due to exceedance of the cap[1]
07
In 2022, DOL reported that a large majority of H-1B LCAs were certified; for many employers, LCA certification proceeded without denial in the audited data[2]
08
USCIS approval rate for H-1B petitions is typically high; a USCIS dataset indicates that in recent years over 80% of adjudicated H-1B petitions were approved (approval disposition shares in USCIS reporting)[1]
09
H-1B cap-subject petitions generally require filing within the cap season window; USCIS specifies filing and petition dates linked to the cap availability period[1]
10
USCIS requires that H-1B petitions include a certified Labor Condition Application (LCA) from DOL for cap-subject petitions, which is a prerequisite for adjudication[1]
Interpretation
Selection & Outcomes Interpretation
For the Selection and Outcomes picture, USCIS’s H 1B cap has consistently drawn far more registrations than the 85,000 slots, from 191,000 in FY 2022 to 308,613 in FY 2023 and 340,000+ in FY 2024, meaning selection repeatedly turns into a funnel where not everyone selected files and additional rounds are sometimes needed.
02 · Category
Immigration Volume4 stats
01
85,000 H-1B visas are available each fiscal year under the statutory cap (with 65,000 regular and 20,000 for U.S. master’s degree holders)[3]
02
In FY 2023, 226,000 H-1B petitions (including initial, continuing, and other categories) were approved, according to USCIS reports of petition-level approvals[1]
03
In FY 2022, 219,000 H-1B petitions were approved, according to USCIS petition approval reporting in the annual immigration report[1]
04
In FY 2021, 215,000 H-1B petitions were approved, per USCIS annual immigration reporting[1]
Interpretation
Immigration Volume Interpretation
Even though only 85,000 H-1B visas are available each fiscal year under the statutory cap, USCIS reported far higher immigration volume through approvals, with 219,000 in FY 2022 and 226,000 in FY 2023.
03 · Category
Policy & Fees4 stats
01
$4,000 is the ACWIA training fee amount specified for certain H-1B cap petitions as shown in the USCIS fee schedule[1]
02
H-1B portability allows certain H-1B beneficiaries to start work for a new employer upon filing a petition and receiving Form I-129 approval notice or upon request (as described in USCIS guidance)[1]
03
USCIS requires an H-1B registration fee of $10 for registrants when using the online registration system (as specified for the registration process)[1]
04
The H-1B registration fee is $0 for U.S. institutions of higher education and certain nonprofits as indicated by USCIS registration fee rules[1]
Interpretation
Policy & Fees Interpretation
From a policy and fees perspective, USCIS can charge a mix of baseline costs such as a $4,000 ACWIA training fee and a $10 registration fee, yet it also allows the registration fee to drop to $0 for U.S. institutions of higher education and certain nonprofits, reflecting how fee obligations vary by eligibility rules.
04 · Category
Economic & Labor5 stats
01
58,600 H-1B petitions with requests under the 'master’s cap' were approved in FY 2022, representing a substantial share of H-1B approvals (USCIS petition approval reporting by cap category)[1]
02
H-1B workers account for roughly 1% of the overall U.S. workforce in recent estimates, based on total H-1B population relative to total employment[4]
03
A 2020 study found that H-1B inflows increased the probability of firms expanding R&D and patenting activity by about 1–2 percentage points compared with similar firms not using H-1B[5]
04
In the EPI analysis of the H-1B wage rules, employers paid the required prevailing wage in 98% of sampled cases for approved petitions (as measured in the study sample)[6]
05
In 2022, H-1B visa holders represented about 14% of foreign-born highly educated workers in the STEM workforce in U.S. labor-force estimates by MPI[7]
Interpretation
Economic & Labor Interpretation
From an Economic and Labor perspective, H-1B labor remains relatively small at about 1% of the overall U.S. workforce, yet it plays a meaningful role in high-skill STEM employment where visa holders make up roughly 14% of foreign-born highly educated STEM workers in 2022.
05 · Category
Employer & Occupation2 stats
01
H-1B specialty occupation requires a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a specific specialty as a baseline requirement for qualification, per USCIS adjudication standards[1]
02
DOL’s LCA process requires employers to certify that the H-1B worker will be paid at least the prevailing wage for the occupation and work location as determined through DOL wage data tools[2]
Interpretation
Employer & Occupation Interpretation
Under the Employer and Occupation angle, USCIS and DOL rules effectively ensure that H 1B workers have at least a bachelor’s level qualification for specialty roles and that employers certify prevailing wage pay, tying eligibility to both occupational requirements and pay standards.
06 · Category
Program Demand5 stats
01
In FY 2025 cap season, USCIS selected 124,000+ registrations for filing cap-subject H-1B petitions (selection pool size used for petition filings).[1]
02
85,000 H-1B visas are available each fiscal year under the statutory cap: 65,000 for the regular cap and 20,000 for the U.S. master’s cap.[1]
03
In FY 2023, the USCIS H-1B cap season reporting indicates the number of master’s cap selections and regular cap selections that were available for petition filing eligibility.[1]
04
In FY 2024 cap season, USCIS reported receiving 340,000+ H-1B registrations and selecting registrants for the 85,000 cap slots.[1]
05
In FY 2022 cap season, USCIS reported receiving 191,000 H-1B registrations and selecting via random selection when registrations exceeded the 85,000 cap.[1]
Interpretation
Program Demand Interpretation
From a program demand perspective, filings surged from 191,000 registrations in FY 2022 to 340,000+ in FY 2024, even though only 85,000 visas were available each year under the cap, underscoring that demand has consistently far outpaced supply.
More related reading
07 · Category
Wages And Costs4 stats
01
In FY 2023, USCIS H-1B annual reporting tables include an average base wage component across approved petitions; the reported average base wage was $40.00 per hour.[1]
02
In 2022, the average hourly wage for H-1B workers reported by USCIS in H-1B annual reporting tables was $41.00 (average wage reported across filed and/or approved petitions in the USCIS H-1B program tables).[1]
03
In FY 2024, USCIS reported that 12,400+ petitions were approved under the H-1B1 classification (Chile/Singapore program), illustrating related non-cap H-1B specialty-work authorization volumes.[1]
04
In 2023, the BLS reported that the median weekly earnings across all occupations were $1,001, providing a wage baseline for comparison to reported H-1B wage distributions.[8]
Interpretation
Wages And Costs Interpretation
For the Wages And Costs angle, the USCIS reported H-1B hourly pay averages edged up from $40.00 in FY 2023 to $41.00 in 2022, suggesting slightly rising wage levels in the program as non-cap approvals for H-1B1 hit 12,400 plus in FY 2024 and, for context, BLS listed median weekly earnings of $1,001 in 2023.
08 · Category
Approvals2 stats
01
In FY 2021, USCIS approved 215,000 H-1B petitions (initial, continuing, and other categories) per USCIS petition-level approval reporting.[1]
02
2020-2021 saw H-1B petitions approved at scale such that the annual petition-level approvals exceeded 200,000 in each year reported by USCIS for FY 2019–FY 2021 (e.g., 215,000 approved in FY 2021).[1]
Interpretation
Approvals Interpretation
For the Approvals category, USCIS approved more than 200,000 H-1B petitions each year across FY 2019 to FY 2021, with FY 2021 reaching about 215,000 approvals, indicating consistently high approval volume over this period.
09 · Category
Employer Compliance1 stats
01
DOL’s LCA Public Disclosure Data for 2022 reports hundreds of thousands of H-1B LCAs, reflecting large-scale employer use of the certification mechanism prior to H-1B petition adjudication.[9]
Interpretation
Employer Compliance Interpretation
In 2022, DOL’s LCA Public Disclosure Data showed hundreds of thousands of H 1B labor condition applications, highlighting that employer compliance is being actively exercised at large scale before any H 1B petition is even adjudicated.
10 · Category
Workforce Context3 stats
01
In 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that STEM employment in the United States was 9.9 million jobs classified as STEM, providing the labor-market context for H-1B specialty occupation demand.[10]
02
1.7% of the U.S. labor force is employed in occupations classified as STEM-related (a labor-market reference point for immigration-driven talent demand).[8]
03
In 2022, foreign-born workers accounted for 18.4% of U.S. employment according to BLS analysis based on CPS microdata (context for the foreign-born share of the labor supply including H-1B).[8]
Interpretation
Workforce Context Interpretation
In workforce context, STEM jobs totaled 9.9 million in 2023 and only 1.7% of the U.S. labor force is in STEM-related occupations, meaning the relatively small domestic supply likely increases pressure to tap foreign-born talent whose share of U.S. employment reached 18.4% in 2022.
11 · Category
International Comparison2 stats
01
In 2023, the OECD reported that approximately 1.7 million foreigners worked in OECD countries on temporary work visas, providing cross-country context for employer reliance on temporary high-skill labor programs including U.S. H-1B.[11]
02
In 2022, OECD data showed that temporary labor migration accounted for a significant share of legal inflows, with temporary work-related permits forming a major component of high-skill labor mobility measured by permit counts.[11]
Interpretation
International Comparison Interpretation
In 2023, the OECD’s estimate that about 1.7 million people worked in OECD countries on temporary visas underscores that programs like the US H-1B are part of a broader international reliance on temporary, high-skill labor mobility.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Helena Kowalczyk. (2026, February 13). H1B Visa Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/h1b-visa-statistics
MLA
Helena Kowalczyk. "H1B Visa Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/h1b-visa-statistics.
Chicago
Helena Kowalczyk. 2026. "H1B Visa Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/h1b-visa-statistics.
Sources & references
11 sources cited across this report