H1B Visa News: Big Trouble For Indian Techies In US! Immigration Capping Reached For Year 2024-2025 - Here's What To Do

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially announced that it has reached the congressionally mandated cap for H-1B visa petitions for the fiscal year 2025. This includes both the regular cap of 65,000 visas and the additional 20,000 visas designated for applicants with U.S. advanced degrees, also known as the master's cap.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services  confirmed it will continue to accept and process petitions for individuals hoping to extend the duration of stay for current H-1B workers, change terms of employment, change employers, or allow concurrent employment in more than one H-1B position. It however will no longer accept any new cap-subject petitions.

Not-selected applicants will receive an e-mail notice in their online accounts. The status for non-selected registrations will read: "Not Selected: Not selected – not eligible to file an H-1B cap petition based on this registration.

Even though the limit has been met, USCIS will continue to review specific petitions that are excluded from the cap. There are petitions for an extension of stay for currently H-1B workers, amendments to terms of employment, as well as changes in employer and concurrent employment.
Decline in H-1B Sponsorships

In specialty occupations requiring advanced knowledge and skills, U.S. businesses are permitted to employ foreign workers through the H-1B visa program. There is an observation of a considerable drop in sponsorship from major U.S. companies. Although Indian nationals dominate the H-1B pool, many companies have, especially in the tech sectors, significantly reduced approvals.

Amazon, still the biggest sponsor of H-1B visas, had its approvals plummet from over 11,000 in 2023 to a little over 9,000 in 2024. Infosys and TCS, the big Indian IT players, also showed significant drops in their sponsorships, reflecting a shift in the way American companies look to source talent.

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