The US Reaches 65,000 H-1B Visas For 2022

A federal agency says the US has received enough petitions to meet the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa cap for fiscal year 2022.

The US Congress mandates that the country can issue 65,000 H-1B visas per year under the regular cap and another 20,000 H-1B visas under the advanced degree exemption categories each year.

The USCIS, which reviews all such applications every year, reported that it had received a sufficient number of petitions to reach the congressionally required 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap; and the 20,000 H-1B visa US advanced degree exemption, known as the master's cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2022.

The USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap, it said

At the same time, the USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions filed to extend the amount of time H-1B workers may remain in the US; to change the terms of employment for H-1B workers; to allow current H-1B workers to change employers; and to allow current H-1B workers to work concurrently in more than one H-1B position.

Although the annual Congressional cap is 65,000, not all H-1B nonimmigrant visas are subject to this cap. Under the terms of the US-Chile and U.S.-Singapore free trade agreements, up to 6,800 visas are set aside for the H-1B1 programme each fiscal year.

Unused visas in this group become available for H-1B use for the next fiscal year's regular H-1B cap.