H-1B visa applications closed for 2026 fiscal year; understanding H-1B visa and its benefits

Time of India

5 days ago

In a recent update, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the department has put a cap for the H-1B visa program for the fiscal year 2026 after having received enough petitions.
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USCIS in its official statement has confirmed that they have reached the 65,000 visa regular cap.
As of now, the agency admitted that it will go on to process petitions that are exempt from the cap. These includes:
Present H-1B workers in the U.S. can continue their work and apply to extend their stay.
Not only this, the visa holders can request to switch to their job terms or change to choose a new employer.
The other exception is some workers can even be allowed to work for more than one employer at the same time under H-1B.
On this note, let's have a look at what is H-1B Visa is and the benefits it brings to the holders:
What is the H-1B visa?
To understand in simple words, the H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa which allows US employers to hire workers from foreign nations in specialty knowledge or skills. It could be in the field of engineering, IT, healthcare, and research. The visa program is run by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For those who don't know, it is among the most sought-after visas for skilled professionals from across the globe.
Now every year in the month of March, employers submit electronic registrations for potential candidates but if applications exceed the cap, USCIS conducts a lottery to select applications.
Qualifications needed
Those who wish to qualify for an H-1B visa, the applicant must hold at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in related fields. On the other hand, the U.S. employer must show that the job is a 'specialty occupation' that requires such a degree.
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What is the cap?
The USCIS has put a cap of 65,000 on new H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2026.
Benefits of holding H-1B Visa
One of the prime benefits of holding the H-1B visa is that the document allows professionals to live and work in the U.S. for up to three years.
They can also extend the visa to a maximum of six years in some cases.
H-1B holders can also apply for permanent residency/green card if their employer sponsors them.
The H-1B holders are also allowed to bring their immediate family members, which includes spouse and kids under 21, to the U.S. on H-4 dependent visas.
In special cases, spouses (dependent visa) are also allowed to work in the U.S.
While the window for new H-1B applications for fiscal year 2026 has closed, new applicants will have to wait for 2027 for the registration process to begin.