US has already capped H1-B visas for 2023 after 65k applications. And we're in just August 2022.
US says it has reached the cap for H1-B visa for FY 2023. Photo: Getty Images
People around the world aspire to go to the US, including Indians. The H1-B visa is the most talked about and also difficult to get. The US immigration services announced on Tuesday, August 23, that they have reached the number of applications needed to meet the Congressionally mandated 65,000 H1-B visa cap.
For registrations that were properly submitted but not selected, online accounts will now show as "not selected.” For more information, please visit: https://t.co/a3cAhyVmcX
— USCIS (@USCIS) August 23, 2022
“We have received a sufficient number of petitions needed to reach the Congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa US advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year 2023,” the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said in a statement.
On the other hand, the US will continue to accept and process petitions that are exempt from the cap. It will also continue to accept petitions seeking to extend the stay of H1-B visa holders, allow H1-B workers to change employers, and work simultaneously in other H1-B positions.
Immigration services have been sending out non-selection notices to applicants. They can only send the notices once the cap for the applications has been reached.
I hate @USCIS . Over two days we went from #h1b 1/3 not selected, then 1/2, then 2/3, then 80%, and now 100%. Why can't you A) upload results all at once and B) actually announce it when you do it. Apparently the agency likes to inflict the maximum amount of pain and suffering.
— Benjamin Hamilton (@bhamiltonlaw) August 22, 2022
It means that there will be no other round of selections for FY 2023.
What is the H1-B visa? The H1-B visa is a coveted visa for several people around the world including Indians. It gives skilled professionals a chance to work in the US, onsite and earn in dollars. It is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to recruit foreign employees in speciality roles.
The visa is sought after mostly by Indian and Chinese techies.
Why is H1-B important to Indians? The H1-B visas allow Indian techies working with American companies to go to the US and work onsite. In 2019, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar revealed that Indians had received 67% to 72% of the total H-1B visas in the last five fiscal years.
Evidently, a significant chunk of Indian applicants are selected.
In 2021, the US received 3,08,613 applications and selected 1,31,970 petitions in three rounds of selections.
Meanwhile, the status of US tourist visa: Other than the H1-B visa aspirants, Indians are also vying to go to the US for tourism or to visit family and friends. However, tourist visa appointments are hard to come by and with a looooong wait.
Appointments for a tourist visa to the US are now available only in 2024 across all consulates in India. This is due to the massive backlog of applications submitted during the pandemic period.
It's not just the US where getting a visa is troublesome, requiring lots of patience. But visas for Schengen countries, the UK, etc are also a long wait.