Applications for the H-1B work visa, popular among tech companies looking to hire foreign talent, more than doubled in 2023, according to a new Boundless report.
U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) received 780,884 applications for the temporary work visa aimed at highly-skilled workers, a 61% increase from the previous year and nearly 700,000 above the 85,000-annual cap.
Here are more key findings from the report:
- H-1B denial rates hit a record low of 2% in FY 2022.
- The majority of approved petitions (nearly 73%) in FY 2022 went to workers from India. China came in second, representing 12.5% of approved applications.
- Males account for an overwhelming majority of all approved petitions – 70.8%, compared to 29% for female workers.
- Of all H-1B approvals in FY 2022, computer-related jobs were the top occupational group, making up 66% of all approvals
- In FY 2022, the median annual salary for approved H-1B applicants was $118,000, up from $108,000 in FY 2021.
The study also delves into how the H-1B visa program can help ease the labor shortage, the rise in visa fraud, and the differences between President Trump and President Biden’s H-1B policies.
Read the full report here!