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The H-1B visas for skilled workers were introduced in 1990. They are typically granted for three years, but can be extended for up to six years.<\/p>\n
Since 2004, the number of new H-1B visas issued has been capped at 85,000 per year – 20,000 of which are reserved for foreign students with master’s degrees or higher from US universities. <\/p>\n
However, that cap does not apply to some institutions such as universities, think tanks and other non-profit research groups, so more are often issued. <\/p>\n
People can only apply for an H-1B visa if they have a job lined up with a US-based sponsor company or institution.<\/p>\n
The US government also approves extensions for those already working in the country.<\/p>\n
Just over 386,000 H-1B applications were approved in the 2023 fiscal year (October 2022-September 2023), the latest year we have full data for, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) figures.<\/p>\n
That includes almost 119,000 new H-1B visas and about 267,000 extensions to existing visas.<\/p>\n
The 2023 total is down from more than 474,000 in 2022.<\/p>\n
There have been efforts to restrict the H-1B further programme in the past.<\/p>\n
In 2017, then-president Trump signed an executive order that increased scrutiny of H-1B visa applications. The order sought to enhance fraud detection within the scheme.<\/p>\n
Rejection rates hit an all-time high under the first Trump administration, reaching 24% in the 2018 fiscal year, compared with rejection rates of between 5-8% under the Obama administration and between 2-4% under President Biden.<\/p>\n
However, the total number of approved applicants under the Biden administration has been similar to that under Trump’s first.<\/p>\n
In the three years that followed President Trump’s executive order (2018-2020), about 1.1 million applications were approved, with about 343,000 of those being first-time applicants.<\/p>\n
In the first three years of the Biden administration (2021-2023), about 1.2 million applications were approved, with almost 375,000 being new applicants. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/picture><\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n