H-1B Visa
A non-immigrant work visa in the United States designed for specialty occupation positions, with an annual cap of approximately 85,000 slots. It is the primary visa category through which foreign nationals employed in the technology sector work in the United States.
Core Facts
Timeline (last 90 days)
Building diversified talent recruitment strategies and reducing reliance on a single visa channel is a long-term risk-mitigation approach for companies facing policy uncertainty.
An additional 20,000 H-1B slots are reserved specifically for applicants who have obtained a master's degree or higher from a U.S. institution.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has used a computerized random lottery system to determine H-1B eligibility for most years since 2005.
H-1B holders can typically work in the United States for a maximum of 6 years (initial 3 years, renewable once).
H-1B applicants from India and China face particularly severe backlogs when applying for green cards, potentially waiting decades for their priority dates to become current.
During his first term, the Trump administration tightened H-1B approval standards, raised wage thresholds, and suspended certain visa issuances through executive orders and memoranda.
News of an executive order on H-1B nonimmigrant visa administration received 15 upvotes and 16 comments on Hacker News.
The statutory annual cap for H-1B visas is 65,000 slots.
H-1B applications continued to climb in fiscal year 2025, causing the first-round selection rate to fall to approximately 15%.
USCIS implemented a beneficiary-centric, one-registration-per-person system in 2024 to curb abuse of the H-1B lottery.
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All Facts (13)
H-1B签证是美国专为专业职位设计的非移民工作签证，每年约85,000个名额，其中6.5万面向普通申请者，2万专为美国硕士及以上学历持有者保留
65%UnverifiedBuilding diversified talent recruitment strategies and reducing reliance on a single visa channel is a long-term risk-mitigation approach for companies facing policy uncertainty.
50%UnverifiedThe statutory annual cap for H-1B visas is 65,000 slots.
50%UnverifiedAn additional 20,000 H-1B slots are reserved specifically for applicants who have obtained a master's degree or higher from a U.S. institution.
50%UnverifiedU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has used a computerized random lottery system to determine H-1B eligibility for most years since 2005.
50%UnverifiedH-1B holders can typically work in the United States for a maximum of 6 years (initial 3 years, renewable once).
50%UnverifiedH-1B applicants from India and China face particularly severe backlogs when applying for green cards, potentially waiting decades for their priority dates to become current.
50%UnverifiedH-1B applications continued to climb in fiscal year 2025, causing the first-round selection rate to fall to approximately 15%.
50%UnverifiedUSCIS implemented a beneficiary-centric, one-registration-per-person system in 2024 to curb abuse of the H-1B lottery.
50%UnverifiedThe annual quota of the H-1B lottery system was originally 65,000 (under the Immigration Act of 1990), with an additional 20,000 master's cap exemption slots added in 2004.
50%UnverifiedIn fiscal year 2024, H-1B registrations exceeded 780,000, while only 85,000 slots were available.
50%UnverifiedThe H-1B visa is valid for up to six years and is the primary transitional pathway for international talent to obtain permanent residency in the United States.
50%UnverifiedDuring his first term, the Trump administration tightened H-1B approval standards, raised wage thresholds, and suspended certain visa issuances through executive orders and memoranda.
50%