On April 1, USCIS announced it had received enough electronic registrations during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year (FY) 2025 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap), including the advanced degree exemption, also known as the master’s cap.
FY2025 H-1B Cap Selections
- USCIS selected 114,017 beneficiaries, resulting in 120,603 selected registrations in the initial selection for the FY 2025 H-1B cap.
During the registration period for the FY 2025 H-1B cap, USCIS saw a significant decrease in the total number of registrations submitted compared to FY 2024, including a decrease in the number of registrations submitted on behalf of beneficiaries with multiple registrations.
- The number of unique beneficiaries this year for FY 2025 (approx. 442,000) was comparable to the number last year for FY 2024 (approx. 446,000).
- The number of unique employers this year for FY 2025 (approx. 52,700) was also comparable to the number last year for FY 2024 (approx. 52,000).
- The number of eligible registrations, however, was down dramatically for FY 2025 (470,342) compared with FY 2024 (758,994) — a 38.6% reduction.
For more data, please visit USCIS’s H-1B Electronic Registration Process page.
Erickson Insights and Analysis
The initial data for the FY2025 registration period indicates that the measures USCIS introduced for the FY2025 H-1B Cap season to deter and prevent abuse of the H-1B registration process were effective. There were far fewer attempts to gain an unfair advantage than in prior years due to the beneficiary-centric selection process under the final rule on Improving the H-1B Registration Selection Process and Program Integrity.
USCIS will continue to review the FY 2025 data for any attempts to gain an unfair advantage through the beneficiary-centric process and deny or revoke any petitions and make law enforcement referrals for criminal prosecution accordingly.
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.