The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it has received enough petitions to meet the congressionally mandated limits for H-1B visas for fiscal year (FY) 2025. This includes the regular cap of 65,000 visas and the additional 20,000 visas available under the U.S. advanced degree exemption, also known as the master’s cap.
USCIS will issue non-selection notices to registrants through their online accounts over the next few days. After all notifications have been sent, the status for applications that were not selected for the FY 2025 H-1B cap will be updated to: “Not Selected: Not eligible to file an H-1B cap petition based on this registration.”
However, petitions that are exempt from the cap will continue to be accepted and processed.
“We will 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 2025 H-1B cap,” said USCIS.
Additionally, USCIS will process petitions for extending the duration of stay for current H-1B workers, changing employment terms, allowing workers to switch employers, or enabling them to work concurrently in additional H-1B positions.
A total of 13,607 applicants were selected in this second lottery round, following the initial round in March, which selected 114,000 individuals. As a result, the total number of selected applicants for FY 2025 was 127,624.
The online registration deadline was March 25. For the second round, only those who had registered earlier, but were not chosen, were eligible for selection. After the lottery, USCIS notified the selected applicants to proceed with their visa process.
Compared to the last fiscal year, 2024, there was a significant decrease in the number of applications in FY 2025. USCIS had received 479,953 applications for FY 2025, nearly 39% fewer than the 780,884 applications registered for FY 2024. Despite this drop, the number of U.S. employers participating in the program had seen a modest increase. There were 52,700 employers for FY 2025, compared to 52,000 for FY 2024.
The H-1B visa is a temporary nonimmigrant visa category that allows U.S. employers to petition for highly educated foreign professionals to work in specialty occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
This visa is particularly popular in STEM fields such as mathematics, engineering, technology, and medical sciences. The initial duration of an H-1B visa is typically three years, which can be extended for a maximum of six years.
There is an annual cap of 65,000 H-1B visas, with an additional 20,000 visas available for individuals with advanced degrees from U.S. institutions. The H-1B program benefits employers by allowing them to import talent not readily available in the United States, while also protecting U.S. workers through wage requirements and labor condition applications.
For many foreign professionals, especially graduates from prestigious universities, the H-1B visa serves as a pathway to work in the U.S., offering competitive compensation and potential routes to permanent residency.
Kishor Panthi
View More PostsKishor Panthi is the founder and editor-in-chief of Khasokhas and NepYork. He is the author of three books, “Kampan,” "UNTRANSLATABLE" and “Zero Mile.” He writes about social issues, immigration, and politics.
