The Immigration and Nationality Act limits the number of H‑1B visas available each year. On July 18, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it received enough petitions to reach these limits. USCIS accepted 65,000 petitions under the regular cap and 20,000 petitions under the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap). Because the agency met the statutory limits, USCIS will not accept or process any additional cap-subject H‑1B petitions for fiscal year 2026. Employers and individuals seeking H‑1B status through a cap-subject petition must now wait for the FY 2027 filing period. USCIS will continue to accept and adjudicate H‑1B petitions that qualify for cap-exempt status, such as those filed by certain nonprofit or research institutions or petitions for current H‑1B workers seeking extensions or changes in employment.
If you have questions about H-1B eligibility, please schedule a consultation appointment here.
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