Properly submitted registrations fell from 343,981 in FY2026 to 211,600 in FY2027— the first cap year under the wage-weighted selection rule (effective Feb 27, 2026). Level IV wages enter the pool 4×, Level I just 1×.
FY18-FY20 bars are cap-subject H-1B petitions filed (paper, per USCIS Cap Season alerts). FY21+ bars are properly submitted electronic registrations. Selection rate = total selections ÷ demand pool. FY27 selection count not yet itemized by USCIS.
The Immigration Act of 1990 · Signed by Republican President George H.W. Bush
President George H.W. Bushsigned the Immigration Act of 1990 — the most sweeping overhaul of legal immigration in 25 years. It split the old “H-1” category into H-1A (nurses) and H-1B (specialty occupations), and set the first hard annual cap of 65,000.
The core argument was a looming shortfall of engineers, mathematicians, computer scientists, and physical scientists. A 1989 NSF report warned of a 675,000-person shortage of scientists and engineers by 2010, and industry testified U.S. universities weren't producing enough STEM graduates to keep up with Japan and Western Europe. Congress responded by tripling employment green cards to 140,000 and inventing H-1B as the pipeline for specialty workers.
Lead sponsors were Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) in the Senate and Rep. Bruce Morrison (D-CT)in the House. It passed 89–8 in the Senate and 264–118 in the House. The same law also created the diversity visa lottery and Temporary Protected Status.
Source: Immigration History Project — immigrationhistory.org/item/immigration-act-of-1990
Pre-2001 USCIS reports are scarce — the INS didn't publish a formal H-1B report to Congress until FY1999. What we have is the cap history, legislation, and the dates the cap was reached.
First fiscal year under the new Immigration Act of 1990. H-1B splits off from the old H-1 category (which lumped nurses, specialty workers, and “distinguished merit” together). Cap is not reached.
Low utilization years. Early-90s recession + limited employer awareness mean approvals run well below the 65k ceiling. USCIS predecessor INS published no standardized H-1B statistics in this window.
INS hit the 65,000 cap in August 1997 — the first time ever. The dot-com boom was accelerating and demand exploded almost overnight.
Cap hit four months earlier than the prior year. Congressional hearings through 1998 feature tech-industry testimony arguing 65k is no longer enough.
The American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act raises the cap to 115,000 for FY1999–FY2000 and 107,500 for FY2001. Adds the $500 training/anti-fraud fee and creates the H-1B-dependent employer rules.
~302,000 petitions approved (initial + continuing), per the first-ever INS “Report on H-1B Petitions” to Congress. India already the top source country at ~48% of approvals.
Registration filled almost instantly. Congress responds by drafting AC21. Chart data from FY2000 onward (below) comes from USCIS Characteristics Reports.
The American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act raises the cap to 195,000 for FY2001–FY2003, exempts universities and nonprofit research orgs from the cap entirely, and creates H-1B portability (change employers without losing status). These provisions still shape H-1B today.
Sources: ACWIA (P.L. 105-277), AC21 (P.L. 106-313), USCIS “Characteristics of Specialty Occupation Workers” FY2003 (first published), INS Report on H-1B Petitions FY1999, and USCIS press releases on cap-reach dates (all linked below).
Buried in 25 years of official USCIS reports
65% are extensions, transfers, or amendments for workers already in the U.S. The cap only applies to initial employment.
FY2024 Petitions Report, Figure 2
H-1B median is $120,000 vs ~$52,000 U.S. median household income. The gap has widened from $12k in FY2003 to $68k today.
FY2024 Characteristics Report
Properly submitted registrations fell from 343,981 (FY2026) to 211,600 (FY2027). 71.5% of selected beneficiaries hold a U.S. master's or higher (was 57%), and only 17.7% sit in the Level I wage tier. The new weighted lottery, effective Feb 27, 2026, enters Level IV wages 4× into the pool, Level I just 1×.
USCIS, May 2026 announcement
Doctorate median: $99,000. Bachelor's: $116,000. Why? Many PhDs are in low-paying academic/postdoc positions, while bachelor's holders are in high-paying industry jobs.
FY2024 Characteristics Report
267,131 approved vs 266,474 filed. This happens because USCIS approves petitions from prior fiscal years. A quirk of the post-dot-com recovery.
FY2005 Characteristics Report
From $83k to $101k in just 3 years (+22%). The "Buy American, Hire American" era paradoxically drove up H-1B salaries by increasing scrutiny on lower-wage petitions.
Trend Tables + FY2020 Characteristics
"Systems analysis and programming" alone accounts for 52% of all approved H-1B beneficiaries in FY2024 — more than all other occupations combined.
FY2024 Characteristics Report, Appendix D Table 8
Women are 37% of initial employment approvals but drop to 26% of continuing employment. Men dominate the renewal pipeline, suggesting women leave H-1B status faster.
FY2024 Characteristics Report, Figure 6a
The 85,000 cap only applies to NEW employment. Extensions, transfers, amendments, and cap-exempt employers (universities, nonprofits) have no limit. Total approvals are 4.7x the cap.
FY2024 Petitions Report
From DOL Labor Condition Applications FY2022–FY2026 Q1
Meta's median H-1B wage is $222,888. Compare: Infosys pays $93,850 and TCS pays $91,000 for similar roles. A 2.4x gap between top filers doing the same type of work.
DOL LCA Data FY2026 Q1
EY filed 17,397 LCAs — more than Google (16,601), Microsoft (16,438), or Apple (12,333). H-1B isn't just Big Tech — consulting and audit firms are massive users.
DOL LCA Data FY2022-FY2025
Texas has nearly double New York's H-1B filings. Plano, Irving, Dallas, Austin, and Houston all rank in the top 15 cities. The H-1B geography has shifted south.
DOL LCA Data FY2022-FY2025
LCA median went from $110,000 (FY2022) to $132,708 (FY2026 Q1). That's a 20.6% increase while general U.S. wages grew ~12% in the same period.
DOL LCA Data FY2022-FY2026 Q1
Amazon.com Services (21,594) + AWS (5,599) + Amazon Development Center (3,685) = 30,878 total. Nearly double the next largest filer. No company comes close.
DOL LCA Data FY2022-FY2025
Plano has 12,119 LCAs (1.4%) — a city of 290k people filing nearly as many H-1Bs as San Francisco (16,038). Irving, TX (pop 256k) files 10,877. Corporate campuses are reshaping the map.
DOL LCA Data FY2022-FY2025
FY1992-FY2027 | Sources: Immigration Act of 1990, ACWIA 1998, AC21 2000, Reform Act 2004
The cap wasn't always 85k. It spent three years at 195,000 under AC21 (FY2001-FY2003) before reverting in FY2005.
FY2000-FY2024 | Source: USCIS Congressional Reports & Characteristics Reports
Most approved petitions from FY16 onward are extensions or transfers, not new H-1Bs. Earlier-year breakdowns aren't published.
FY2003-FY2024 | Source: USCIS Characteristics Reports & Trend Tables
FY2021-FY2027 | Source: USCIS Cap Season Alerts
FY1999-FY2024 snapshots | Sources: INS FY1999 Report, USCIS Characteristics Reports
FY1999-FY2024 | Sources: INS Report on H-1B Petitions FY1999, USCIS Characteristics Reports
April 2026 DOS Visa Bulletin | Years behind today's priority-date cutoff
Most H-1B workers eventually apply for employment-based green cards. An Indian EB-2 filer is 11.8 years behind just to reach today's cutoff — Rest-of-World filers in EB-1, EB-2 and EB-5 are current.
Static backlog ÷ annual visas. Assumes 7% country cap holds, no attrition, no policy change. Treat as an upper bound. China EB-2: 17 yrs.
Source: D. Bier, Cato, “1.8M EB Green Card Backlog,” Aug 2023.
EB-2 India cutoff moved from Mar 2008 to Jul 2014 between April 2016 and April 2026 — the queue advances ~0.6 yrs per calendar year.
Source: DOS Visa Bulletin archives.
FY1999-FY2024 snapshots | Sources: INS FY1999 Report, USCIS Characteristics Reports
FY1999-FY2024 | Sources: INS FY1999 Report, USCIS Characteristics Reports
Side-by-side comparison of any two years
All PDFs saved locally in data/official_sources/ for verification. Not legal advice.