The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) overhauled the H-1B visa application process for the 2025 fiscal year, introducing a new system designed to curb fraudulent practices and reduce overall numbers of registrations. So far, the changes have reduced numbers by 38%.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant permit, granting highly skilled workers entry to the US on a temporary basis to live and work for three years, after which they can extend their stay for another three years if they wish to remain. To obtain an H-1B visa, applicants must be sponsored by an employer, who will submit a registration petitioning the USCIS on their behalf. Key employers that sponsor the visa include major tech companies such as Amazon and Meta, as well as innovative startups including Databricks and Stripe.
Lower numbers of H-1B visa registrations following the process overhaul suggests less competition moving forward, and a more equitable process for those looking to apply for the coveted visa which is oversubscribed by hundreds of thousands of registrations each year.
Understanding recent H1B visa changes
The changes to the H-1B visa process, which came into effect from March 4th 2024 ahead of the 2025 fiscal year, involved a shift towards a ‘beneficiary-centric process’. The change meant moving forward H-1B visa registrations would be “selected by unique beneficiary rather than registration,” the USCIS announced.
Previous rules allowed employers to submit multiple H-1B visa registrations for individual beneficiaries to increase their chances of approval. Under the new system, one registration is permitted for each beneficiary, ensuring all potential H-1B visa holders have an even chance of selection.
The USCIS also introduced a number of changes to further the integrity of the H-1B visa process and prevent duplicate registrations. This included a requirement for potential H-1B visa holders to provide valid passport information or valid travel document information, with beneficiaries only allowed to be registered under one travel or passport document. Fraudulent attempts would also face disqualification and possible legal action, the USCIS announced.
Impact of H1B visa changes
Prior to the H-1B visa overhaul, registration numbers had been increasing dramatically year-on-year. Eligible registrations rose from 269,424 in 2021 to 474,421 in 2023, two years later. By the 2024 fiscal year, this figure had risen significantly again to 758,994.
Currently there is a congressionally mandated cap of 65,000 visa issuances applied to the H-1B visa, with a further 20,000 on top of this allocated for those with advanced degrees, including MBAs and master’s qualifications.
Since the changes have been implemented, eligible registrations for the fiscal year 2025 fell by around 38% to 470,342. The number of unique beneficiaries remained largely unchanged, with the USCIS estimating there were 442,000 in 2025 versus 446,000 the previous year.
The USCIS also confirmed there was an average of 1.06 registrations per beneficiary in the 2025 fiscal year, compared to 1.70 in 2024. The number of employers petitioning for H-1B visas remained largely unchanged.
With the figures suggesting the overhaul has successfully contributed toward the USCIS’s goal of reducing fraud and making the H-1B visa registration process more equitable, foreign nationals hoping to use the visa to gain employment opportunities in the US can expect a more level playing field moving forward.
H1B Visa Year-On-Year Eligible Registration Figures
The future of the H1B visa under the Trump administration
The H-1B visa process overhaul was first introduced in the US in 2024 under the previous government administration led by President Joe Biden. Since the reelection of Donald Trump in November 2024, the H-1B visa has resurfaced as a key point of debate, in part due to President Trump having temporarily suspended the visa during his previous term in office.
During the period between his election victory and inauguration on January 20th 2025, Trump was quoted in a New York Post article appearing to back the H-1B visa program. “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” he said.
He has since stated that he welcomes competent people entering the country, adding: “I'm not just talking about engineers, I'm talking about people at all levels.”
Though Trump has offered little concrete information about future H-1B visa plans, other signs of a potential shift in stance on the program include appointing Sriram Krishnan as his senior policy adviser on AI—an entrepreneur who has talked in the past about making it easier for skilled foreign workers to come to the United States. Elon Musk, the SpaceX and Tesla founder who Trump recently appointed as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has also spoken in support of the visa scheme.
“While President Trump did not support the H1B visa program during his first term, it is encouraging to see that he now appears open to it. Nevertheless, the specifics remain uncertain,” said Tahmina Watson, immigration attorney and founder of Watson Immigration Law.
“One concern is whether we might see new executive orders akin to the previous “Buy American, Hire American” directive, which led to increased scrutiny and a higher rate of visa denials.
“Despite these concerns, the national debate underscores the fact that foreign workers are vital to the United States economy. Both political sides, as well as President Trump, acknowledge that H-1B visas play a key role for American businesses,” she added.
