Washington DC: The Trump administration has selected 120,141 H-1B visa applications for fiscal year 2026, according to newly released figures from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), signaling a more restrained approach to employment-based immigration amid shifting political and economic dynamics.
President Donald Trump has publicly backed employment-based visa programs, including H-1B, which allows US employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in specialty occupations. But the latest numbers suggest a significant downturn in both interest and eligibility, reflecting either diminished demand or tighter oversight.
For FY 2026, USCIS received 358,737 H-1B registrations, of which 343,981 were deemed eligible. That marks a sharp 27% drop in eligible submissions compared to the 470,342 recorded for FY 2025. Even more striking was the decline in unique applicants—falling to about 336,000 this year, down from 423,000 the previous cycle.
“This represents a cooling of demand or a sign of stricter eligibility standards in place under the current administration,” said a policy analyst familiar with USCIS procedures.
The bulk of eligible registrations—336,153—were from individuals with a single submission, while only 7,828 came from applicants with multiple registrations, a significant reduction from prior years when multiple filings were more common.
In contrast, FY 2024 had seen a record 758,994 eligible registrations, with 188,400 ultimately selected through the lottery system. This year’s selections represent roughly 35% of eligible registrations.
The number of unique employers participating in the FY 2026 cycle stood at approximately 57,600, a slight increase from 52,700 in FY 2025. However, the average number of registrations per applicant dropped to 1.01 from 1.06 a year ago, indicating that most applicants had only one chance at selection.
Despite a wave of layoffs across the tech sector, industries such as technology, finance and academia continue to dominate H-1B demand. In 2024, major companies including Amazon, Google and Meta secured thousands of H-1B slots. Tesla, led by Elon Musk, reportedly utilized the program to hire hundreds of skilled workers.
Still, critics of the program argue that the visa continues to displace domestic workers. U.S. Tech Workers, an advocacy group, posted on X, formerly Twitter:
“H-1B visa numbers for FY 2026: Despite mass tech layoffs and voter backlash—especially after the Christmas H-1B uproar—the Trump team stays hands-off: 120,141 NEW H-1Bs selected for FY2026. Demand remains high despite layoffs—a clear sign U.S. workers are being replaced.”
