In a surprising shift, the FY 2026 H-1B cap season recorded a major drop in total registrations and eligible beneficiaries. Just 343,981 eligible registrations were submitted—nearly 27% lower than last year’s 470,342.
The number of unique applicants also fell sharply. Only 336,000 individuals applied this year, down from 423,000 in FY 2025.
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But what comes as more shocking is the drastic fall in duplicate filings—only 7,828 beneficiaries had multiple registrations this year compared to 47,314 last year. This is also highlighted by a slight increase in the number of employers participating this year—57,600, as compared to 52,700 last year.
USCIS’s new fraud-prevention steps are working with only 1.01 registrations per applicant this year, compared to 1.06 last year. This makes it clear that the days of gaming the system with multiple entries may finally be ending.
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The likelihood of a second lottery is also low, as the first round saw 120,141 applicants selected—just 15,000 less than last year, indicating enough approvals are expected to meet the cap of 85,000.
While Trump continues his crackdown against immigrants, the effect of his administration might not be fully reflected in H-1B registrations till next year. With stricter rules anticipated, it will be interesting to see how many of these applications lead to full-fledged H-1B visas.
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Whether this trend continues or there might be an actual decline in unique applicants next year, all depends on how the job market and US immigration policies evolve.
