H-1B · Approval statistics
H-1B Specialty Occupation
Official USCIS statistics
OfficialDecision approval rate · FY2025
97.9%
Approved 406,349 · Denied 8,926
▼ 0.1 pts vs. same period a year earlier (FY2024: 98.0%)
Approved ÷ (approved + denied) in the same period. Pending cases are not counted. Decisions in a quarter can come from petitions filed earlier, so this is the share of decisions that were approvals — not the chance that a petition filed today will be approved.
Source: Nonimmigrant Worker Petitions by Case Status and Request for Evidence (RFE) (Fiscal Year 2024, Quarter 4) · Published Dec 16, 2024 · Retrieved Sep 27, 2026
Source: Nonimmigrant Worker Petitions by Case Status and Request for Evidence (RFE) (Fiscal Year 2025, Quarter 4) · Published Mar 24, 2026 · Retrieved Sep 27, 2026
H-1B by fiscal year (official)
Official| Period | Received | Approved | Denied | Decision approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 456,724 | 406,349 | 8,926 | 97.9% |
| FY2024 | 427,109 | 399,410 | 8,231 | 98.0% |
| FY2023 | 386,597 | 386,353 | 10,899 | 97.3% |
| FY2022 | 474,319 | 442,435 | 9,072 | 98.0% |
| FY2021 | 398,284 | 407,058 | 11,228 | 97.3% |
| FY2020 | 427,288 | 426,728 | 39,910 | 91.4% |
| FY2019 | 420,580 | 389,377 | 69,517 | 84.9% |
| FY2018 | 418,596 | 334,924 | 61,382 | 84.5% |
| FY2017 | 403,157 | 373,315 | 29,939 | 92.6% |
Source: Nonimmigrant Worker Petitions by Case Status and Request for Evidence (RFE) (Fiscal Year 2024, Quarter 4) · Retrieved Sep 27, 2026
Source: Nonimmigrant Worker Petitions by Case Status and Request for Evidence (RFE) (Fiscal Year 2025, Quarter 4) · Retrieved Sep 27, 2026
Recent AAO decisions
OfficialAAO decisions only include cases that were denied and then appealed. They show why some petitions fail — they are not an approval rate.
No AAO decisions ingested for this category yet.
Common RFE topics
Patterns based on the rules USCIS applies, not a prediction for any case.
- Interpretation Specialty occupation: whether the job truly requires a degree in a directly related specific specialty. RFEs often ask for detailed duties, industry evidence or the employer's hiring history for the role.[1,2]
- Interpretation Bona fide job offer and the employer relationship: whether real work exists as of the start date and, for third-party placements, contracts or work orders showing the actual duties and degree requirements.[1]
- Interpretation Degree field: how your specific degree connects logically to the duties, especially for broad or interdisciplinary degrees.[1,3]
- Interpretation Your qualifications: foreign degree equivalency, or experience evidence meeting the three-for-one standard with recognition of expertise.[1]
- Maintenance of status: pay records and other proof that you kept your prior status, which the regulation requires with every extension or amendment.[4]
- High confidence Worksites: the 2024 rule removed the H itinerary requirement, but USCIS may verify worksites, including third-party sites, through inspections, and may ask for contracts or work orders.[1,2]
- Interpretation Cap cases: evidence supporting the wage level selected on the registration.[5]
This information is for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. It does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not predict the outcome of any individual case.
Sources
- 1.8 CFR 214.2(h) - Temporary employees (H-1B)eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
- 2.Modernizing H-1B Requirements, Providing Flexibility in the F-1 Program, and Program Improvements - final rule (89 FR 103054)DHS (Federal Register) · Federal Register · Published Dec 18, 2024 · Checked Sep 27, 2026
- 3.H-1B Specialty Occupations - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Sep 27, 2026
- 4.8 CFR 214.1 - Requirements for admission, extension, and maintenance of statuseCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
- 5.Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions - final rule (90 FR 60864)DHS (Federal Register) · Federal Register · Published Dec 29, 2025 · Checked Sep 27, 2026