USCIS announced on April 1, 2024, that it had received enough electronic registrations during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year 2025 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap), including the advanced degree exemption, also known as the master’s cap.
USCIS selected 114,017 beneficiaries, resulting in 120,603 selected registrations in the initial selection for the FY 2025 H-1B cap.
USCIS subsequently announced that it would need to select additional registrations for unique beneficiaries to reach the FY 2025 regular cap numerical allocations. USCIS selected 13,607 beneficiaries in the second selection for the FY 2025 H-1B regular cap, resulting in 14,534 selected registrations.
As announced on December 2, 2024, USCIS has received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year 2025.
During the registration period for the FY 2025 H-1B cap, USCIS saw a significant decrease in the total number of registrations submitted compared to FY 2024, including a decrease in the number of registrations submitted on behalf of beneficiaries with multiple registrations.[1]
- The number of unique beneficiaries this year for FY 2025 (approximately 442,000) was comparable to the number last year for FY 2024 (approximately 446,000).
- The number of unique employers this year for FY 2025 (approximately 52,700) was also comparable to the number last year for FY 2024 (approximately 52,000).
- The number of eligible registrations, however, was down dramatically for FY 2025 (470,342) compared with FY 2024 (758,994) — a 38.6% reduction.
- Overall, USCIS saw an average of 1.06 registrations per beneficiary this year in FY 2025, compared to 1.70 for FY 2024.
Employers who will be sponsoring foreign nationals for H-1B classification based upon selection in the FY 2026 H-1B visa lottery should consult with counsel to ensure timely preparation and submission of their H-1B registrations in March 2025. Gunster’s Immigration Practice Group remains available to assist with these processes and answer your questions.
This publication is for general information only. It is not legal advice, and legal counsel should be contacted before any action is taken that might be influenced by this publication.
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[1]The information herein is based upon a United States Citizenship and Immigration update on the H-1B Electronic Registration Process: H-1B Cap Electronic Registration Process. See H-1B Electronic Registration Process | USCIS
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This publication is for general information only. It is not legal advice, and legal counsel should be contacted before any action is taken that might be influenced by this publication.
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