On December 2, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has received enough H-1B petitions to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption (master’s cap) for fiscal year (FY) 2025.

USCIS said that when it finishes sending out the non-selection notifications, the status for properly submitted registrations that the agency did not select for the FY 2025 H-1B numerical allocations will state:

  • Not Selected: Not selected—not eligible to file an H-1B cap petition based on this registration.

USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap. The agency noted that petitions filed for current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap, and who still retain their cap number, are exempt from the FY 2025 H-1B cap. USCIS said it will continue to accept and process petitions filed to:

  • Extend the amount of time a current H-1B worker may remain in the United States;
  • Change the terms of employment for current H-1B workers;
  • Allow current H-1B workers to change employers; and
  • Allow current H-1B workers to work concurrently in additional H-1B positions.