H-1B filings rise 7% in FY2025 but approvals drop 17.8%: USCIS data

USCIS data shows employer demand for H-1B workers rose in FY2025 even as approvals fell to a five-year low amid tighter scrutiny

H-1B petition filings in the United States rose in the financial year ending September 2025, but approvals fell sharply, according to the H-1B visa annual report for FY2025 submitted to Congress. The report, for the first time, provides full-year data for FY2025 covering October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025.

 

According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the data indicates there were far fewer attempts to gain an unfair advantage than in prior years.

 

Key numbers: What do the latest H-1B figures show?

 

Total petitions submitted increased to 456,725 in FY2025, up from 427,091 in FY2024, a rise of 7 per cent and the highest filing volume since FY2022, when 474,301 petitions were filed. In 2023, filings had fallen to 386,584. Despite the increase in filings, approvals told a very different story.

   

Approvals dropped to 328,185, the lowest level in five years and a steep 17.8 per cent fall from FY2024’s 399,402.

 

The first quarter (October–December 2024) stood out in particular. Approvals fell 45 per cent year on year to 47,821, compared with 87,018 in the same period the previous year.

 

A sharp decline was also visible in October–December approvals. On September 19, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation to reform the H-1B programme, introducing a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa petitions effective September 21, 2025.

 

Between October and December 2025, approvals remained notably low at 47,821 compared with 87,018 in the same quarter of FY2024, a 45 per cent year-on-year drop.

 

Of the 456,725 petitions filed in FY2025, 410,929 came from employers with 26 or more full-time employees, while 45,796 were from employers with 25 or fewer full-time employees, who qualify for a reduced $750 fee instead of $1,500.

 

The annual report shows employer demand rose in FY2025, but USCIS approvals reached a five-year low, pointing to possible stricter scrutiny or processing delays. The presidential proclamation introducing a $100,000 fee requirement late in the year may affect FY2026 figures.

 

What do labour filings indicate?

 

According to the latest data released by the US Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC), filings of H-1B work visa applications in the quarter ending December 2025 fell 23.1 per cent compared with the same period last year.

 

Between October and December 2025 — the first quarter of FY2026 — employers filed 76,164 Labour Condition Applications (LCAs) for temporary specialty occupation workers under the H-1B, H-1B1 and E-3 visa programmes. This marks a decline from FY2025 levels.

 

However, despite the fall in applications, the approval rate remained high. Of the 83,116 applications handled during the quarter, 75,488 were certified, representing a certification rate of more than 90 per cent.

 

Meanwhile, the H-1B cap season 2027 registration opens on March 4, and the last date for filing H-1B cap season 2027 registrations is March 19, 2026.

 

USCIS flags fraud enforcement: What did the agency say?

 

“Based on evidence from the FY 2023 and FY 2024 H-1B cap seasons, we have undertaken extensive fraud investigations, denied and revoked petitions accordingly, and continue to make law enforcement referrals for criminal prosecution. We are also 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,” USCIS said in its report.

 

“We believe that the decreased filing rate for FY 2024 H-1B cap petitions and the decreased registration numbers for FY 2025 and FY2026 indicate that these investigations, and the beneficiary-centric selection process, have been effective integrity measures,” it added.

 

Historical data (FY2021–FY2026)

 

FY2021

Total registrations: 274,237

Eligible registrations: 269,424

Eligible (no other eligible registrations): 241,299

Eligible (multiple eligible registrations): 28,125

Selected registrations: 124,415

 

FY2022

Total registrations: 308,613

Eligible registrations: 301,447

Eligible (no other eligible registrations): 211,304

Eligible (multiple eligible registrations): 90,143

Selected registrations: 131,924

 

FY2023

Total registrations: 483,927

Eligible registrations: 474,421

Eligible (no other eligible registrations): 309,241

Eligible (multiple eligible registrations): 165,180

Selected registrations: 127,600

 

FY2024

Total registrations: 780,884

Eligible registrations: 758,994

Eligible (no other eligible registrations): 350,103

Eligible (multiple eligible registrations): 408,891

Selected registrations: 188,400

 

FY2025

Total registrations: 479,953

Eligible registrations: 470,342

Eligible (no other eligible registrations): 423,028

Eligible (multiple eligible registrations): 47,314

Selected registrations: 135,137

 

FY2026

Total registrations: 358,737

Eligible registrations: 343,981

Eligible (no other eligible registrations): 336,153

Eligible (multiple eligible registrations): 7,828

Selected registrations: 120,141