Official H1-B Numbers: A Significant Drop But Still Mind-Boggling

As we reported, H1Bs, especially for Master’s students, are struggling in the U.S. On the other hand, the demand for H1-B visas has also decreased compared to FY 2024.

That does not mean there is no demand or a huge loss of interest in America among immigrants, but in comparison to FY 24, the number of H1B petitions filed in FY 25 has dropped by 38.6%.

Last year (Fiscal Year 2024), there was a massive record of H1 applications filed — the number was really huge at 758,994.

But this year (Fiscal Year 2025), the number of H1 applications filed is 470,342, indicating a significant drop.

However, even with 470,342 H1B applications, the number is massive because the available cap is only 65,000, with an additional 20,000 for the master’s cap. The total quota is 85,000, but this year, USCIS has received 470,342 applications.

Interestingly, the number of unique employers for FY 2025 (approximately 52,700) was comparable to the number for FY 2024 (approximately 52,000).

Below you can see the official H1B applications received by USCIS for the last five years: