On April 18, 2022, USCIS announced that it had received 483,927 registrations for the FY 2023 H-1B Cap. This is the largest number ever received – almost 200,000 more than the total count of 308,613 for FY 2022.
Out of the 487,927 registration applications, USCIS selected 127,600 to fill the 85,000 available spots. Employers whose H-1B Cap Registrations have been selected have a 90-day window to file the H-1B Cap Petitions with USCIS.
USCIS calculates the number of cases it will select based on historical data regarding the number of petitions that have been filed post-selection and the number of denials forecast. Last year, COVID-19 was a big unknown and USCIS had to conduct three selections totaling 131,970 to reach the goal of filling 85,000 H-1B Cap slots. In the first selection round last year, USCIS selected only 87,000 registrations.
Now, with better historical data, the agency has selected more registrations this year, which means it may not conduct any additional selections later this year.
Article By Otieno B. Ombok of Jackson Lewis P.C.
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