On July 18, 2025, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had reached the H‑1B visa cap for Fiscal Year 2026 set by Congress. This includes the regular cap of 65,000 visas as well as the 20,000 exemption for advanced degrees, commonly referred to as the ‘master’s cap.’ With this announcement, USCIS will no longer accept new petitions subject to the cap for FY 2026, although ‘cap-exempt petitions’ will continue to be eligible for processing.
Registration Trends and Selection Data
USCIS conducted its initial lottery selection for Fiscal Year 2026 in March 2025, choosing 118,660 unique beneficiaries from the pool of registered applicants. This represents approximately 35.3% of all registrations submitted for that fiscal year. Employers whose registrations were selected had a deadline of June 30, 2025, to file their cap-subject H‑1B petitions. After processing these petitions, USCIS determined that enough petitions had been received to meet both the regular cap and the master’s cap.
As a direct result of reaching the H‑1B visa cap for Fiscal Year 2026, USCIS will not conduct any additional lottery rounds for H‑1B registrations this fiscal year. This also means that no new cap-subject H‑1B petitions will be accepted for FY 2026.
Para obtener cifras exactas sobre el límite de visas H‑1B para el año fiscal 2026 (y años anteriores), visite:
https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations/h-1b-electronic-registration-process
What Employers and Workers Need to Know About the H‑1B Cap for 2026
With the cap reached, employers cannot submit new H‑1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year 2026 quota. However, USCIS will continue accepting petitions for:
- Extensions of Stay
- Changes in Employment Terms
- Transfers to New Employers
- Concurrent Employment in Additional H‑1B Positions
- These provisions apply to individuals who were already counted under previous caps and retain their quota number.
Cost Increases and Policy Changes
In January 2025, the H‑1B registration fee increased from $10 to $215, primarily affecting small businesses and startups. Stricter rules, including penalties for duplicates or false information, have increased pressure on employers to ensure petition accuracy and legitimacy.
Mirando Hacia Adelante
Employers and foreign workers not selected this year should prepare for FY 2027 H‑1B season, while advocacy groups push for more visas.
The H‑1B program lets U.S. companies hire skilled global workers, but demand exceeds visas, so planning ahead is essential.
