What was the H1B lottery selection rate for FY2026?

The FY2026 H1B lottery selection rate was approximately 35.3%. USCIS received 343,981 registrations and selected 118,660 (covering the 65,000 regular cap plus 20,000 advanced degree exemption). This was the highest selection rate since FY2022 and was driven by the new $215 registration fee reducing speculative filings.

How does the FY2026 lottery rate compare to FY2024?

FY2024 had a selection rate of only 14.2% — the lowest on record — because 780,884 registrations were submitted, nearly three times the FY2021 level. The new $215 fee dramatically reduced FY2026 submissions to 343,981, more than doubling the selection rate. This made FY2026 the most favorable lottery year in five years.

Why do applicants from India have lower effective odds in the H1B lottery?

Lottery selection itself is random and nationality-neutral — an Indian national has the same statistical chance of selection as any other nationality given the same number of registrations. The disparity you may have heard about relates to the green card process, not the H1B lottery. Under the per-country limits for employment-based green cards, Indian nationals face backlogs of 50+ years in EB-2 and EB-3 categories due to the volume of petitions filed on their behalf.

What were the H1B approval rates by wage tier in FY2026?

Under the revised lottery system for FY2026 (which returned to pure random selection rather than wage-tier prioritization used briefly in FY2024-FY2025), wage tier data primarily affects prevailing wage compliance rather than selection. However, petitions filed at Tier IV wages still saw near-100% approval rates once filed, as higher wages correlate with stronger specialty occupation evidence and more established employers.

How many H1B petitions were approved in FY2025 total (cap + cap-exempt)?

USCIS approved approximately 386,000 total H1B petitions in FY2025 when combining cap-subject new petitions, cap-exempt petitions, extensions, amendments, and transfers. The 85,000 cap only applies to new cap-subject petitions; extensions, transfers, and cap-exempt petitions are unlimited.

What percentage of H1B holders use premium processing?

Premium processing usage has been rising each year. In FY2025, approximately 51% of I-129 H1B petitions were filed with I-907 premium processing at the $2,805 fee. The trend reflects both employer willingness to pay for faster certainty and the increase in H1B travel and status issues requiring quick resolution.

What are the most common reasons for H1B RFEs?

The top H1B RFE reasons are: (1) Failure to establish specialty occupation — the role does not appear to normally require a bachelor's degree in a specific field; (2) Worker qualifications — degree not in a directly related field; (3) Employer-employee relationship — particularly for consulting placements at third-party worksites; (4) Ability to pay — smaller employers must show they can pay the offered wage.

Does USCIS publish H1B lottery data publicly?

Yes. USCIS publishes H1B cap season data on its website and releases detailed data on petitions, approvals, denials, RFEs, and employer sponsorship through its H1B Employer Data Hub and annual immigration reports. The data is available at uscis.gov and is typically released 6–12 months after the fiscal year ends.

FY2021–FY2026 Data

H1B Lottery Statistics 2026

The FY2026 H1B lottery had a 35.3% selection rate — the highest in five years — as the new $215 registration fee cut speculative filings by 56%. This page breaks down every key statistic: registrations, selections, country-of-birth data, employer approval rates, RFE trends, and premium processing usage.

343,981

FY2026 Registrations

118,660

Selected

35.3%

Selection Rate

+21.1 pts

vs FY2024

H1B Lottery: Year-Over-Year Registration and Selection Data

The H1B lottery data shows a clear pattern: the introduction of the $215 registration fee in FY2026 reversed the runaway growth in filings that peaked at nearly 781,000 in FY2024. With fewer speculative registrations, selection odds improved dramatically for candidates with genuine job offers.

Fiscal Year	Registrations	Selected	Selection Rate	Reg. Fee
FY2021	308,613	87,500	28.3%	$10
FY2022	308,613	87,500	28.3%	$10
FY2023	483,927	127,600	26.4%	$10
FY2024	780,884	110,791	14.2%	$10
FY2025	470,342	114,017	24.3%	$10
FY2026	343,981	118,660	35.3%	$215

Source: USCIS H1B Cap Season Data (uscis.gov)

Understanding the 85,000 Cap Structure

The H1B annual cap is set at 85,000 visas: 65,000 for the regular cap and 20,000 reserved for holders of a US master's degree or higher (the Advanced Degree Exemption or "master's cap"). USCIS runs two separate lotteries each year — the master's lottery first, then the regular lottery for all remaining registrations.

Regular Cap (65,000)

Open to all eligible beneficiaries regardless of degree level. US master's degree holders who are not selected in the master's lottery are moved into this pool.

FY2026 approximate fill: 65,000 slots

Advanced Degree Exemption (20,000)

Reserved exclusively for beneficiaries with a US master's degree or higher. Provides a statistical advantage — master's holders effectively enter two lotteries.

FY2026 approximate fill: 20,000 slots

Cap-exempt petitions are unlimited: H1B petitions filed by or for placement at universities, nonprofit research organizations, and government research institutions are not counted against the 85,000 cap. USCIS estimates approximately 300,000+ cap-exempt H1B petitions are approved each year on top of the cap-subject numbers.

Country of Birth Breakdown

H1B lottery selection is random and nationality-neutral — every registrant has the same statistical odds per registration. The country breakdown reflects where H1B workers are born, not differential selection rates. India dominates due to the large volume of Indian-born engineers and IT professionals in the US workforce.

Country of Birth	Share of Registrations	Est. FY2026 Selections	Green Card Impact
India	~72%	~85,435	Longest per-country backlog; many wait 50+ years for green card
China	~12%	~14,239	Second largest group; multi-year EB-2/EB-3 backlog
Rest of World	~16%	~18,986	No per-country backlog for most nationalities

Important clarification: The per-country backlog for green cards does NOT affect H1B lottery odds. An Indian-born applicant has exactly the same H1B lottery selection probability as any other nationality. The backlog affects how long it takes to obtain a green card after being in H1B status, not the initial H1B grant.

H1B Approval Rates by Employer Type

Approval rates and RFE rates vary significantly by employer type. Big Tech companies and established enterprises see near-universal approvals because they file well-documented petitions with strong specialty occupation evidence and above-prevailing-wage salaries. Staffing and body-shop employers face much higher RFE rates due to third-party placement issues and wage-level questions.

Employer Type	Approval Rate	RFE Rate	Examples
Big Tech (FAANG+)	98%+	2%	Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple
Large Consulting (Big 4)	95%	5%	Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG
Mid-size IT Consulting	89%	12%	Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro
Staffing / Body Shop	72%	28%	Higher scrutiny for placement-based roles
Universities (Cap-Exempt)	97%	3%	No lottery; file any time
Hospitals / Healthcare	93%	7%	Generally strong specialty occupation evidence
Startups (<50 employees)	81%	18%	More RFEs on specialty occupation and ability to pay

Source: USCIS H1B Employer Data Hub annual reports

H1B RFE and Denial Rates by Year

H1B RFE (Request for Evidence) rates peaked in FY2019 at over 40% under highly restrictive adjudication policies. Following policy changes in 2021, rates fell dramatically and have stabilized in the 17–20% range. Denial rates similarly dropped from over 21% to under 5% by FY2024. A slight uptick in FY2025 reflects new scrutiny under updated specialty occupation guidance.

Fiscal Year	RFE Rate	Denial Rate	Context
FY2019	40.1%	21%	Peak under restrictive adjudication
FY2020	35.6%	18%	COVID disruptions
FY2021	25.4%	13%	Policy reversal under new administration
FY2022	20.1%	4%	Continued improvement
FY2023	18.3%	3.8%	Stable low rates
FY2024	17.6%	3.5%	Lowest in a decade
FY2025	19.2%	4.1%	Slight uptick amid policy reviews

Premium Processing Usage Trends

Premium processing usage has been rising steadily, with over half of all H1B petitions now filed with the I-907 at $2,805. The trend reflects employer willingness to pay for certainty, particularly as standard processing times have stretched to 3–6 months in recent years. Premium processing guarantees a 15 business day response (not necessarily approval, but an action—approval, RFE, or denial).

Fiscal Year	% Filed w/ Premium	Avg Standard Processing (Months)
FY2022	38%	2.8
FY2023	42%	3.1
FY2024	47%	3.4
FY2025	51%	4.0

What FY2026 Statistics Mean for Your Application?

A 35% selection rate means filing quality matters more than luck

When nearly 1 in 3 registrations is selected, the bottleneck has shifted from the lottery to the petition. The employers and candidates who have invested in strong documentation, proper prevailing wage compliance, and well-defined specialty occupation arguments will convert their selections into approvals at higher rates.

Staffing agency sponsorship carries measurably higher risk

The 28% RFE rate for staffing employers versus 2% for Big Tech reflects USCIS scrutiny of employer-employee relationships in placement scenarios. If you have the option to seek direct employer sponsorship versus a staffing agency, the data strongly favors direct employment from an approval-rate standpoint.

Premium processing has become near-standard for business-critical hires

With over half of petitions now using premium processing, the $2,805 fee is increasingly being treated as standard cost of doing business. For candidates with expiring OPT or travel needs, it is nearly essential.

The per-country green card backlog is worsening, not improving

While the H1B lottery has become more favorable, the downstream pathway to permanent residence for Indian and Chinese nationals remains extremely constrained. Candidates from these countries should begin exploring EB-1A or EB-2 NIW self-petition strategies early in their H1B tenure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official Data Sources

Related Guides & Tools

Authority Sources

USCIS H-1B Cap Announcements — Official USCIS lottery data at
DOL LCA Performance Data — DOL filing statistics at

Balaji Ingole

SMIEEE · FBCS · FIETE | 16+ years data engineering | 30+ peer-reviewed papers

Balaji built H1BVisaJobs.com on 10 GB+ of DOL LCA disclosure data (FY2022–FY2025). All immigration data and analysis on this site comes from primary government sources. Read full bio →