The H1B Visa is one of the most sought-after temporary work visas in the US by international professionals and students. There has been extreme demand for H1B visa slots in recent years. The H1B quota cap was sufficient in the past, but things have changed in the last decade.
We have been tracking H1B visa trends for over a decade now. This article presents the H1B cap reach data by year, including graphs and trends since the USCIS Fiscal Year(FY) 2000. The data in the article is up to date as of the H1B FY 2025 season.
The most recent H1B Visa season is Fiscal Year 2025 season, check out the article: H1B Visa 2025 News, Timelines.
Before we discuss the actual number of H1B registrations or petitions filed with USCIS in the past, let’s examine the H1B cap reach dates by year starting from 2004. This will give us an indication of the demand by year.
H1B Visa Cap Reach Dates History – FY 2004 to 2025
Employers used to submit the complete H1B petition package with LCA, fees, documentation, and other documents until the fiscal year(FY) 2021 season, with filing dates starting April 1st. Beginning in FY 2021, the H1B electronic registration process was introduced.
As part of the H1B registration process, only an H1B registration with basic information about the applicant is submitted electronically in the online system instead of the whole petition. The submission dates for H1B registrations with the online electronic system usually start in March.
The graph below illustrates the H1B cap reach dates by the USCIS fiscal year. Starting FY 2021, you will notice the H1B cap reach dates in March. This is due to the H1B registration process and the dates USCIS gave for the same.
The table below shows when the H1B quota cap was reached during a fiscal year. The above graph is a representation of the data below.
| H1B Fiscal Year (FY) | H1B Cap Reached Date |
| 2004 | Feb 17th, 2004 |
| 2005 | Oct 1, 2004 |
| 2006 | Aug 10, 2005 |
| 2007 | May 26, 2006 |
| 2008 | April 3, 2007 |
| 2009 | April 7, 2008 |
| 2010 | Dec 21, 2009 |
| 2011 | Jan 26, 2011 |
| 2012 | Nov 22, 2011 |
| 2013 | June 11, 2012 |
| 2014 | April 5, 2013 |
| 2015 | April 7, 2014 |
| 2016 | April 7, 2015 |
| 2017 | April 7, 2016 |
| 2018 | April 7, 2017 |
| 2019 | April 6, 2018 |
| 2020 | April 5, 2019 |
| 2021 | Mar 20, 2020 |
| 2022 | Mar 25, 2021 |
| 2023 | March 18, 2022 |
| 2024 | March 20, 2023 |
| 2025 | March 25, 2024 |
Total H1B Visa Cap Applications Received by Year – FY 2004 to 2025
The H1B visa cap was reached every year from the fiscal year 2004 until 2025. We present the total H1B Cap-related applications received by USCIS by Year in the table below. Below are the descriptions of the fields of the table.
- H1B Fiscal Year(FY): It corresponds to USCIS’s Fiscal Year. It starts on October 1st and ends on September 30th. Example: H1B Fiscal Year 2022 starts on October 1st, 2021, and ends on Sep 30th, 2022.
- H1B Cap Reached Date: The exact date when the H1B Visa Cap was reached. Read What is H1B Cap, Regular vs Masters Quota Cap?
- H1B Cap Open Days: This indicates the number of days when the H1B cap was open for companies to submit H1B applications with USCIS.
- H1B Applications Received by USCIS: Total number of H1B Applications received by USCIS in that fiscal year. But, from FY 2021, it is the total count of registrations received by USCIS as they introduced the H1B Registration process starting from that fiscal year.
- H1B Lottery: It is a situation when there were more H1B filings or registrations submitted to USCIS than the annual limit of 85,000 per year. Read more at – What is H1B Lottery? Selection Order, Process?
| H1B Fiscal Year (FY) | H1B Cap Reached Date | H1B Cap Open Days | H1B Applications Received by USCIS |
| 2004 | Feb 17th, 2004 | 322 Days | No H1B Lottery (Check AILA News) |
| 2005 | Oct 1, 2004 | 183 Days | No H1B Lottery (Check AILA News) |
| 2006 | Aug 10, 2005 | 131 Days | No H1B Lottery (Check AILA News) |
| 2007 | May 26, 2006 | 55 Days | No H1B Lottery (Check AILA News) |
| 2008 | April 3, 2007 | 2 Days | 123,480 (H1B Lottery) (Check AILA News) |
| 2009 | April 7, 2008 | 5 Days | 163,000 ( H1B Lottery) |
| 2010 | Dec 21, 2009 | 264 Days | No H1B Lottery |
| 2011 | Jan 26, 2011 | 300 Days | No H1B Lottery |
| 2012 | Nov 22, 2011 | 235 Days | No H1B Lottery |
| 2013 | June 11, 2012 | 71 Days | No H1B Lottery |
| 2014 | April 5, 2013 | 5 Days | 124,000 (H1B Lottery) |
| 2015 | April 7, 2014 | 5 Days | 172,500 (H1B Lottery) |
| 2016 | April 7, 2015 | 5 Days | 233,000 (H1B Lottery) |
| 2017 | April 7, 2016 | 5 Days | 236,000 (H1B Lottery) |
| 2018 | April 7, 2017 | 5 Days | 199,000 (H1B Lottery) |
| 2019 | April 6, 2018 | 5 Days | 190,098 (H1B Lottery) |
| 2020 | April 5, 2019 | 5 Days | 201,011 (H1B Lottery) |
| 2021 | Mar 20, 2020 | 20 Days | 275,000 ( H1B Lottery) |
| 2022 | Mar 25, 2021 | 15 Days | 308,613 (H1B Lottery) |
| 2023 | March 18, 2022 | 18 Days | 483,927 (H1B Lottery) |
| 2024 | March 20, 2023 | 20 Days | 780,884 (H1B Lottery) |
| 2025 | March 25, 2024 | 20 Days | 479,953 (H1B Lottery) |
Total H1B Applications Filings Trend Chart – FY 2004 to 2024
The H1B Season for FY 2024 had the highest number of H1B registrations ever in the history of the H1B program.
- For H1B FY 2023 season, USCIS received 484,927 registrations.
- For H1B FY 2024 season, USCIS received 780,884 registrations
- For H1B FY 2025 season, USCIS received 479,953 registrations.
- The decrease in H1B registrations for FY 2025 compared to FY 2024 can be attributed to the change in H1B Lottery Selection criteria, which is based on the applicant’s unique passport number.
H1B Registrations, Lottery selections FY 2021 to 2025
As part of the FY 2025 data, USCIS also released H1B submissions and selections count data from the start of the H1B registration process. Below is the actual data and trend related to the same.
For FY 2025, USCIS conducted two rounds of H1B Lottery. In the first round, they selected 120,603 registrations, and 14,534 in the second round. In total, they selected 135,137 registrations for FY 2025 Season.
| H1B Fiscal Year | Total H1B Registrations Submitted | Eligible H1B Registrations | Eligible H1B Registrations with only one H1B Employer Filing for an Applicant | Eligible Registrations with Multiple Employers filing H1B for an Applicant | Total Selected H1B Registrations (one or more rounds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 274,237 | 269,424 | 241,299 | 28,125 | 124,415 |
| 2022 | 308,613 | 301,447 | 211,304 | 90,143 | 131,924 |
| 2023 | 483,927 | 474,421 | 309,241 | 165,180 | 127,600 |
| 2024 | 780,884 | 758,994 | 350,103 | 408,891 | 188,400 |
| 2025 | 479,953 | 470,342 | 423,028 | 47,314 | 135,137 |
Extra Count of H1B Registrations Selected by USCIS by Year
Below is the extra count of H1B registrations that USCIS selected in recent years for each of the H1B lottery rounds and for the total year that is more than the H1B cap of 85,000.
| Fiscal Year | Initial Round Selected count | Second Round Selected count | Third Round Selected count | Total Selected Count | Extra % over H1B Cap |
| 2025 | 120,603 | 14,534 | N/A | 135,137 | 59% |
| 2024 | 110,791 | 77,600 | N/A | 188,400 | 122% |
| 2023 | 127,600 | Not done | Not done | Not done | 50% |
| 2022 | 87,500 | 27,717 | 16,753 | 131,970 | 55.25% |
| 2021 | No numbers released | No numbers released | Did not happen | No numbers released | No numbers released |
H1B Cap Count FY 2013 to 2017: Percentage of Extra Selected Over 85K Cap
Before the introduction of the H1B registration process, USCIS was accepting H1B petitions during the first 5 days of the H1B season. USCIS published data in Nov 2018, as part of a proposed rule on the details of how many H1B petitions they picked extra on top of the total cap of 85,000 and also the split of Masters quota filings vs regular quota filings, and also the premium processing data split as well. We have put together all of that info in an article with graphs at: H1B Lottery Data Split, Extra Petitions, Premium Stats.
| Year | Total H1Bs Filed with USCIS | Overall H1Bs Selected in Lottery | Additional H1B Petitions Picked in Lottery | Percentage of Petitions Over Standard Cap of 85,000 |
| 2013 | 124,130 | 98,318 | 13,318 | 15.67% |
| 2014 | 172,581 | 98,034 | 13,034 | 15.33% |
| 2015 | 232,973 | 97,714 | 12,714 | 14.96% |
| 2016 | 236,444 | 95,622 | 10,622 | 12.50% |
| 2017 | 198,460 | 96,301 | 11,301 | 13.30% |
The above table data was published as part of a regulation by USCIS. Check Federal Register for exact data table
H1B Historical data from FY 1999 to FY 2003
| H1B Fiscal Year | H1Bs Filed | H1Bs Approved | H1B Cap Available | H1B Cap Reached Date | Comments / Reasons |
| 1999 | 138,000+ | 138,000+ | 115,000 | Over Cap | KPMG audit reported that INS approved more visas than the cap in News release. |
| 2000 | 164,814 | 136,787 | 115,000 | 21-March | USICS believes they have enough petitions to fulfil the cap |
| 2001 | 201,543 | 201,079 | 195,000 | NOT Reached | USICS considers visas accepted after November 5, 2001 will be considered for 2002 H1B Cap |
| 2002 | 109,576 | 103,584 | 195,000 | NOT Reached | USCIS says in news release that H1B petitions filing declined by 41% |
| 2003 | 108,526 | 105,314 | 195,000 | NOT reached |
How was H1B Historical Data Collected from USCIS/DHS
There is no historical data available on the USCIS website for the years 1990 – 1999. In 1999, INS approved more visas than they were supposed to. The US Congress jumped in and took action. It was reported by KPMG Audit. So, the policy changed after 1999 and USCIS accepts H1B petitions and uses its discretion to decide when to stop. As per data is concerned, which is after 1999, it is available on USCIS in its Archive News releases and it is kind of unclear.
Fundamentally, in the previous years up until FY 2021, USCIS stops accepting applications when they think they have enough H1B visa petitions, including the backlogs they have to process and they will be able to meet the cap numbers. Their decision is just an approximate decision based on the amount of H1B approvals vs Denials and the backlogs they have with them.
The H1B Cap Data starting from fiscal year 2004 is very good with proper reports, but before that, the data is based on news releases and is approximated in few instances. Good Data is available starting from fiscal year 2004. There were no excess visas left out since FY 2004.
The H1B cap was reached every year starting from FY 2004. The data USCIS presented in the reports include all the visas filed. We only know if the H1B visa cap was reached or not and when was the cap reached? If you are looking for the maximum amount of H1B cap and how the cap numbers changed, you can check out the maximum H1B cap numbers from 1990 to today. That article only talks about the general H1B quota. It does not include the Advanced degree H1B visa cap reach dates. There is no special split that is given by USCIS on this, so we have to put it in a generic way…
All the information is available to the public on the USCIS website. In some cases, due to system migrations, some of the pages are not accessible. We have linked relevant references to AILA Cap Reached Dates Page, so that you have full info. Should you need further clarification, please visit the USCIS Website . The information presented here is based on the data published on the USCIS website.
Please share your thoughts and comments in the comments section below.
Hi!
I am interested in finding out how many H1B visas have been granted during 2022-2023, but not just that. I also would like to know what job categories they were granted for, say for the following: administrative specializations, education, engineering, information systems, law, medicine and health, math and physical science, and other.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Hi Everyone,
My H1 is maxed out in December 2020 and perm got denied. Am i eligible to file new H1B petition for 2022?
Stay outside US for one year then you are eligible.
How did you find the additional visas picked in the lottery by USCIS? Could you please share the official link for the same?
Ronit,
They were published as part of the rule making documents. Check the reference link in this article
The H1B work visa is one of the most popular U.S nonimmigrant visas. It allows people from all over the world to go to the U.S and work for a U.S employer for up to 6 years. It is otherwise known as the Person in Specialty Occupation Visa. This makes it highly competitive because only people with advanced skills and knowledge get approval. They go on to work in the U.S and get sponsorship from companies.
Great Article. ideas – I am thankful for the facts , Does someone know if my company can get ahold of a blank USCIS G-325A form to type on ?
This is FAKE news. The data for FY 2011 is incorrect! Shame!
We have no reason to post fake news. It was typo with the year, it was 2010, instead of 2011 ( just fixed it), Jan 26 date is same. Check USCIS Website Press Release Jan 2011 Cap Reach date
Hi, Kumar. Could you, please, explain why your data in the table “Details of Extra Percentage of H1B Petitions selected in Lottery” don’t seem to correlate with the official USCIS data in this doc:
https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/h-1b-2007-2017-trend-tables.pdf ?
The numbers don’t correlate both in number of approved visas and in number of filed cases
Andy,
Both are completely different things, that’s why don’t match or tally.
The data in the official link you shared is the total number of petitions that were filed with USCIS. It includes regular lottery-based ones, and also extensions, transfers.
Now, the data under “Details of Extra Percentage of H1B Petitions selected in Lottery”, is specific to H1B lottery, where USCIS selects more H1B petitions to factor in for rejections, etc. This is from previous years, when employers had to send the actual full petition to USCIS. This has changed now with registration system. The exact data was published by USCIS as part of a regulation. Here is the actual source to the data you see on federal register
Hi,
I’ve come to the US on F-2 dependent visa and whenever I apply for a job online, they ask if I have work permission and since I don’t have one, I’m being automatically rejected, (online). So dice, monster etc. is not helping me. How do I find work here in the US?
Thanks,
Manny
Hi Saurav,
Your sugestion and the article that you posted for me is very helpful,can you pls also let me know can I look for employers/sponsors who will recruit me. SAP , I guess is a good domain and will invite offers from employers.
Thanks.
Malobika
Malobika Ray,
I am not aware about the SAP prospects in US. What you can do is go to US job sites like dice, monster, career builder etc and see if there are any openings that suit your profile. You can also go through the detailed job requirements to know if you satisfy all of them or if there are any gaps. If there are gaps, you can start working towards them. Meanwhile, you can approach the employers who have openings in this domain to sponsor your H-1.
Hi,
I have query regarding salary in US.
– What would be the good salary in US ? As my employer offer me ~70k. In one project they offer me 55 $ per/hr and my employer take 30%. So is it good to have 50-55$pr/ hr
– I may live in CA , TX or NJ. Please let me know the total cost of living in this states. Is it 1500$ MAX or may be very from person to person ?
– How much I will get onhand salary I get on 70k as per Tax calculation ? I have seen in some blog that there is not 30% tax for married people but I am not sure how it would be calculated ?
Please suggest me.
Thanks,
Amit
1. It depends upon number of years of experience, technology you are in etc. So it can either be an ok salary or a bad one.
2. Yes, it can vary from person to person, and also on your family size, accommodation type etc.
3. You should use online tax calculator to calculate your in hand. Different states have different state tax. There can be other deductions like medical insurance, social security, medicare, 401k etc.
My Exp is 8 years in Java/J2EE. They offer me 70k $. So it good in NJ?(I am married and will live with wife. )
– What is the normal tax of state ? as I am not able to find out from sites, As I have gone through few site and found below things.
http://us.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/salary.php
http://www.moneychimp.com/features/tax_brackets.htm
Gross Income $70,000.00
Taxable Income $56,800.00
Federal Tax $10,325.00
Social Security $5,355.00
State Tax $0.00
Take Home $54,320.00 —. $4,526.67 per month.
Is it correct calculation ? As I gone through few sites but some site are not calculate Social Security Tax. Just want to know for my calculation purpose.
Thanks,
Amit
Looking at your experience, I will say it’s on the lower end. Check out job openings on dice, monster and see what other companies are offering for similar positions. As you are in consulting, that could be another reason why it’s lower.
I don’t have idea about NJ state taxes, but your calculations look in the right range. You will have to pay social security on H-1. I am assuming you will be filing as married+jointly, and will be claiming your wife as dependent as she is not working. You will also have to pay medicare, which is around 1% of taxable income. If you will be making any 401k or wageworks deductions, you can remove them as well from the taxable income.
To get your monthly expense in NJ, add the following:
– Rent: find reasonable apartments in craigslist as that would give you a ballpark number about house rent
– Utilities: includes gas, cable, telephone (varies from person to person)
– Groceries: For a family of two, it could be b/w $150 and $250 p.m.
– Gas: depends upon how many you will be driving every month
– Insurance/Loan Payment
– Misc: this includes movie, entertainment, dining out etc (varies from person to person)
– etc
Once you have broken it down into categories, it could give you an idea about your savings.
Hi All,
I have query regarding H1B transfer.
My H1 petition has been filed by employer A in 2008 and I have EAC approval number. But because of recession, I have’t go for visa stamping. Now Market is good and I want to transfer my H1 through employer B, so Is it possible ? Does they can do by only EAC number ? or Can I go for new petition through any other consultant ?
If I try for H1 transfer than how far chances are there to get 2-3 yr visa in current situation ?
Looking forward your reply.
Thanks,
A different employer B can file an H-1 petition for you and submit your existing EAC number to show that you have already been counted in the quota before (this is H-1 transfer). Once approved, you can go for H-1 stamping and then travel to US to work on that H-1 and new employer. Note that you can go for stamping through existing employer also, but as his petition may be expiring soon, your visa stamp may also expire soon. Also, I am not sure how much your current H-1 employer is interested in sending documents for your H-1 stamping.
The duration of the petition can be anything from 1 to 3 years depending upon what your employer submits in LCA, and what USCIS considers.
Thanks Saurabh.
– My current employer is not going to help me so far.
– My employer B is going to put petition file soon once I get offer from US client. So is it call H1 transfer or what? I hear that for H1 transfer I need SSN and last 3 months Pay Stub. In my case i don’t have such things. Is there any issue in approval and H1 stamping ?
If B files a petition for you, and submits the old petition as proof that you have already been counted in the quota, then that would be H-1 transfer. If B files a petition for you, w/ no reference to old petition then it’s not a H-1 transfer. In the former, you can start working prior to 1st Oct, while in the latter you cannot start working until 1st Oct 2011.
Payslips etc are required only if a person has spent time in US on H-1. If the person has never been to US on H-1, then payslips are not required. To be more clearer, payslips and W2s are required as proof that one maintained legal status while in US. If one hasn’t been to US, then question of maintaining legal status is really not applicable.
There shouldn’t be any issue during H-1 approval and stamping, as long as your employer and job is genuine.
Saurabh,
What if B petition is denied during h1 transfer ? Is A approved petition is still valid and can work using A approved h1 before OCT?
Also I have a friend who CASE was revoked after visa is stamped since he resigned from TCS and just wanted whether he will come under cap or non cap.
Hello,
I want to apply for H1B i have an experience of 5+ years in IT Sales and technical. I completed my PGDBM from ESC-Rennes France.
Kindly tell me who are the employers that I must send my CV to for the process of application.
Thanks and regards
Abhishek
You need to search for them on job sites like dice, monster etc. However, carefully vet every employer before finalizing one, because not everyone will have your interest in mind.
Very enlightening data. Thanks for taking the time to put this together!
Welcome !
You are Welcome Joe ! Thank you for the latest link. Very Good information ! I will read it completely and will try to share some good thoughts to our readers.
Thanks for the data. Didn’t know that this year the quota actually has been open for longer than at any time since they got the cap back to 65K in 2004.
And just this morning I got pointed to a new memo from CIS which essentially kills the body shop concept (http://www.uscis.gov/USCIS/Laws/Memoranda/2010/H1B%20Employer-Employee%20Memo010810.pdf), in particular pages 6-7, so I expect the 2011 quota to stay open for quite a while as well, basically a repeat of the 2010 quota.