PILLAR · H-1B
H-1B Visa
DOL OFLC LCA disclosure data + USCIS I-129 stats — lottery, extension, transfer, sponsorship, H-4 EAD, and the H-1B salary database (every disclosed prevailing wage by SOC × MSA × wage level).
What the H-1B specialty-occupation visa is
H-1B is the U.S. Department of Labor and USCIS specialty-occupation visa for foreign professionals filling roles that require at least a bachelor's degree in a specific field. It is capped at 65,000 regular slots plus 20,000 for U.S. master's-degree holders per fiscal year, allocated through an annual electronic registration system. FY2025 selection rate ran 28.7% (135,137 selected from 470,342 eligible registrations) under USCIS's beneficiary-centric selection rule introduced for the FY2025 cycle, per the USCIS H-1B FY2025 announcement.
Once selected, the petitioning employer files Form I-129 with a certified Labor Condition Application (LCA) from DOL's Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Standard I-129 H-1B adjudication runs 2.5–5.5 months at VSC and CSC service centers, per the current USCIS processing-times tool; premium processing returns a decision in 15 calendar days for $2,805. H-1B is granted in 3-year increments to a 6-year cap, with AC21-based extensions available beyond year 6 for I-140 holders in backlogged categories.
H-1B sub-pages
- H-1B extension · I-129 extension, AC21 §104(c) and §106(a) past year 6, 240-day auto-extension
- H-1B lottery · selection rate, beneficiary-centric registration, FY2025 outcomes
- H-1B transfer · AC21 §105 portability, new-employer I-129 filing
- H-1B sponsorship · employer requirements, LCA process, prevailing wage
- H-4 EAD · spouse work authorization for I-140-approved H-1B holders
- H-1B cap-exempt · universities, university-affiliated nonprofits, government research orgs
- H-1B news + policy · trump H-1B reform, fee changes, lottery rule changes
- H-1B salary database · disclosed prevailing wages by SOC × MSA × wage level