Professionals: H-1B Visa Numerical Limitations – H-1B Caps

Under current law, 65,000 new H-1B petitions may be approved each U.S. government fiscal year (October 1 to September 30). This number is reduced by 6,800 H-1B visas reserved for nationals of Singapore and Chile.

There are an additional 20,000 H-1B petition numbers available only for graduates from U.S. masters and doctoral programs

Only H-1B petitions for new employment are counted against these caps. Extensions of H-1B status, amended H-1B petitions and H-1B changes of employer petitions are not subject to the cap. These caps do not apply to H-1B petitions submitted by institutions of higher educations and related non-profit entities, non-profit research organization and U.S. governmental research organizations.

If an H-1B cap is reached, the USCIS will announce a lottery to select the petitions that will be reviewed and those that will be rejected. The lottery will include H-1B petitions received on the announced day plus the following day.