The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it has reached the congressionally mandated caps for H-1B visas for fiscal year (FY) 2024. The agency has received a sufficient number of petitions for both the regular cap of 65,000 visas and the master's cap of 20,000 visas for individuals with advanced degrees from U.S. institutions.

Over the next few days, USCIS will be sending non-selection notices to registrants through their online accounts. Those who receive these notifications will not be eligible to file an H-1B cap petition based on their registration.

However, USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions that are exempt from the cap. This includes petitions for current H-1B workers who have been previously counted against the cap and still retain their cap number. The agency will also accept and process petitions for various purposes, such as extending the stay of current H-1B workers in the United States, changing the terms of employment, allowing workers to change employers, and permitting them to work concurrently in additional H-1B positions.

The H-1B program is a vital resource for U.S. businesses, allowing them to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. To stay updated on the H-1B cap season, USCIS encourages petitioners to subscribe to the H-1B cap season email updates by visiting the dedicated H-1B Cap Season page.

With the FY 2024 H-1B visa cap reached, USCIS looks forward to processing the petitions that fall within the exemption criteria while notifying those who were not selected.