FY 2023 H-1B Cap Reached

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 H-1B cap has been reached.

USCIS conducted its initial  H-1B cap lottery  in March 2022, and employers with selected registrations had a 90-day window during which to file H-1B cap petitions for designated beneficiaries.  This year, the number of H-1B petitions submitted by employers during the initial 90-day filing window was sufficient to meet the FY 2023 statutory cap of 20,000 visas for U.S. advanced degree holders, and 65,000 visas for  “regular” cap beneficiaries.  Last year, USCIS conducted additional lotteries in August and November from reserve registrations because the number of H-1B petitions ultimately submitted and  approved during the initial 90-day filing period running from April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021 was not sufficient to meet the annual statutory H-1B cap.

This year, there will be no additional lotteries.  USCIS has updated registrants’ online accounts to change the status of pending FY 2023 registrations from “Submitted”  to “Not Selected.”

PETITIONS NOT SUBJECT TO THE H-1B CAP

USCIS will continue to accept and process H-1B petitions that are not subject to the cap. These include filings for extensions of status, amended petitions, changes of employer, concurrent employment for existing H-1B workers, and petitions filed by organizations that are cap-exempt.

If you have any questions about this alert, please contact your Gibney representative or email info@gibney.com.