FY26 H-1B Cap Selection Numbers Released by USCIS

On May 13, 2025, USCIS released the FY26 H-1B data, reporting on a significant decrease in the total number of registrations submitted and eligible beneficiaries compared to FY 2025, including a decrease in the number of registrations submitted on behalf of beneficiaries with multiple registrations.

  • The number of unique employers this year for FY 2026 (approximately 57,600) was comparable to the number last year for FY 2025 (approximately 52,700).
  • The number of eligible unique beneficiaries this year for FY 2026 (approximately 336,000) was significantly lower than the number last year for FY 2025 (approximately 423,000).
  • The number of eligible registrations was also dramatically lower for FY 2026 (343,981) compared with FY 2025 (470,342) — a 26.9% reduction.
  • Through a random selection process, USCIS selected 118,660 unique beneficiaries, resulting in 120,141 selected registrations in the initial selection for the FY 2026 H-1B cap

This chart shows registration and selection numbers for fiscal years 2021-26:

Cap Fiscal Year Total Registrations Eligible Registrations* Eligible Registrations for Beneficiaries with No Other Eligible Registrations Eligible Registrations for Beneficiaries with Multiple Eligible Registrations Selected Registrations
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
2026 358,737 343,981 336,153 7,828 120,141

*The count of eligible registrations excludes duplicate registrations, those deleted by the prospective employer before the registration period closed, those denied for having invalid passport or travel document information, and those with failed payments.

Recent Changes to the H-1B Cap Process

For the FY 2025 and FY 2026, USCIS implemented the beneficiary-centric selection process under the final rule Improving the H-1B Registration Selection Process and Program Integrity.

Based on evidence from the FY 2023 and FY 2024 H-1B cap seasons, USCIS took on extensive fraud investigations, denied and revoked petitions accordingly, and continue to make law enforcement referrals for criminal prosecution. Similarly, USCIS is reviewing the FY 2025 data and will review the FY 2026 data for any attempts to gain an unfair advantage through the beneficiary-centric selection process. If applicable, we will deny or revoke any petitions and make law enforcement referrals for criminal prosecution accordingly.

Erickson Insights & Analysis

Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.