The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on July 17, 2025, that it has received sufficient applications to meet the H-1B visa cap for fiscal year 2026. This includes 65,000 visas under the regular cap and 20,000 additional visas for applicants with advanced degrees from US institutions.
From 1,18,660 unique beneficiaries, 1,20,141 registrations were selected in the initial round, and only these applicants are eligible to file full H-1B petitions for FY2026, reported The Times of India on Saturday, July 19.
The cap intake is now closed, with USCIS accepting only cap-exempt petitions.
Decline in registration numbers
USCIS reported a 26.9% drop in eligible registrations for FY2026, receiving 3,43,981 registrations compared to 4,70,342 in FY2025.
Multiple registrations per beneficiary also decreased sharply, from 47,314 in FY2025 to 7,828 in FY2026, with the average registrations per beneficiary falling from 1.06 to 1.01.
While unique employer participation rose slightly from 52,700 to 57,600, the number of unique beneficiaries dropped from approximately 442,000 in FY2025 to 339,000 in FY2026.
Cap-exempt petition categories
USCIS will continue processing petitions for cap-exempt categories, including those for H-1B workers previously counted under prior caps. Eligible petitions include:
- Extensions of stay for current H-1B workers in the US.
- Changes to employment terms.
- Employer transitions for H-1B workers.
- Concurrent employment in additional H-1B roles.
Registration process and compliance measures
Employers submitting cap-subject H-1B visa petitions must complete an electronic registration, which includes a non-refundable fee per applicant, along with accurate passport or travel document details, to streamline the selection process.
USCIS emphasised that duplicate registrations, invalid passport entries, or false attestations will result in disqualification.
Petitioners must confirm the legitimacy of job offers and the absence of collusion to boost selection chances. Violations may lead to petition denial, revocation, or criminal referral. USCIS continues to investigate past violations and will maintain enforcement for FY2025 and FY2026.
Purpose of H-1B programme
The H-1B visa programme enables US companies to employ foreign workers in specialised fields such as Information Technology (IT), engineering, healthcare, and finance.
The current cap cycle does not affect workers already counted under previous caps, and USCIS will continue accepting petitions for extensions, employer changes, or concurrent roles for these individuals.
