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Big update for H-1B visa applicants: USCIS says it has reached its cap for FY 2026
H-1B visa news: USCIS said that it would continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has said it has received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for the fiscal year 2026.
An H-1B allows employers to hire foreign workers who have specialised skills and a bachelor's degree or equivalent. Indians have consistently dominated H-1B visa issuances.
According to the USICS, the H-1B classification has an annual numerical limit (cap) of 65,000 for new statuses/visas each fiscal year. An additional 20,000 petitions filed on behalf of beneficiaries who have earned a master’s degree or higher from a US institution of higher education are exempt from the cap.
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In its latest statement, USCIS said that it would continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap.
“Petitions filed for current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap, and who still retain their cap number, are exempt from the FY 2026 H-1B cap,” it said.
“We will continue to accept and process petitions filed to: Extend the amount of time a current H-1B worker may remain in the United States; change the terms of employment for current H-1B workers; allow current H-1B workers to change employers; and allow current H-1B workers to work concurrently in additional H-1B positions.”
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According to the data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), it has received 3,43,981 eligible H-1B cap registrations for the 2026 fiscal year, of which, 7,828 were beneficiaries with multiple eligible registrations. However, the agency selected only 120,141 registrations.
In 2025, the USCIS received 4,70,342 eligible registrations, 47,314 of which were beneficiaries with multiple eligibilities. The agency selected only 1,35,137 registrations.
According to the USCIS, the number of eligible registrations fell 26.9 per cent for FY 2026 in comparison with FY 2025. "Overall, we saw an average of 1.01 registrations per beneficiary this year for FY 2026, compared to 1.06 for FY 2025. This means that, on average, each beneficiary only had approximately one registration submitted on their behalf," the USCIS said.
