E-Paper
Demand for H1-B visa continues, USCIS receives over 3.5 lakh registrations in FY26
The fall in % of registrations between FY 2025 and 2026 is not because of Trump's visa rules but due to USCIS's crackdown on fraud and unfair registrations.
Despite the controversy and uncertainties surrounding President Donald Trump's immigration policies, the demand for H1-B visas stayed strong, surpassing the yearly cap of 85,000, which includes 20,000 visas under the Masters' Cap.
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.
In 2025, the USCIS received 4,70,342 eligible registrations, 47,314 of which were beneficiaries with multiple eligibilities. However, 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.
The agency also clarified that the data for fiscal 2025 and 2026 registration period also shows fewer attempts of registrations being made on behalf of beneficiaries with multiple submissions. "This is in large part because we implemented the beneficiary-centric selection process under the final rule Improving the H-1B Registration Selection Process and Program Integrity," the USCIS said in a statement.
But the fall in registration percentage is not because of Trump's tightened visa rules. It is because of USCIS's measures to crackdown on fraud and unfair registrations.
The agency said that it undertook extensive fraud investigations on the basis of evidence from FY 2023 and FY 2024 H-1B cap seasons, wherein it denied and revoked petitions as deemed necessary. It added that it continues to refer to law enforcement agencies for criminal prosecution.
| Cap fiscal year | Total registrations | Eligible registrations | Eligible registrations for beneficiaries with multiple submissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 274,237 | 269,424 | 28,125 |
| 2022 | 308,613 | 301,447 | 90,143 |
| 2023 | 483,927 | 474,421 | 165,180 |
| 2024 | 780,884 | 758,994 | 408,891 |
| 2025 | 479,953 | 470,342 | 47,314 |
| 2026 | 358,737 | 343,981 | 7,828 |
(Data from uscis.gov)
USCIS is also reviewing the FY 2025 data and will assess that of FY 2026 to look for any bids to gain unfair advantage by using the beneficiary-centric selection process.
"We believe that the decreased filing rate for FY 2024 H-1B cap petitions and the decreased registration numbers for FY 2025 and FY2026 indicate that these investigations, and the beneficiary-centric selection process, have been effective integrity measures," the federal agency said.
It asserted that the H1-B program continues to remain an essential part of America's immigration system as well as its economy, adding that USCIS remains committed to implementing the law and helping mee the needs of the US labour market.
