The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released data on H-1B visa approvals for the fiscal year 2022, which ended on September 30, 2022. Out of the total 441,000 approved applications, 320,000 or 72.6% were given to individuals born in India. China ranked second with 55,038 approved applications, accounting for 12.5% of the total, while Canada secured the third spot with 4,235 successful applicants, representing 1% of the overall figure. These statistics include both initial employment and visa extensions.
The USCIS report, titled “Characteristics of H-1B Specialty Occupation Workers – 2022,” shows an 8.6% increase in approved H-1B applications compared to the previous fiscal year. In 2021, 301,000 Indians received H-1B visas, accounting for 74.1% of the total approvals, while 50,328 Chinese individuals (12.4% of total approvals) obtained H-1B visas. Indians have consistently represented over 70% of H-1B visas issued by USCIS in recent years.
H-1B visas are particularly popular among Indian technology professionals. In fiscal year 2022, 291,000 applications for computer-related occupations were approved, representing 66% of the total. The median compensation for beneficiaries with approved petitions increased by 9.3%, from $108,000 in fiscal year 2021 to $118,000 in fiscal year 2022.
The number of applications for initial employment approved in fiscal year 2022 was approximately 132,000, compared to 123,000 in the previous fiscal year. It’s worth noting that while there is an annual cap of 85,000 for H-1B visa allocations, certain categories of employers, such as those in higher education, are exempt from the cap, resulting in a higher number of approved H-1B visas for new jobs.
During fiscal year 2022, 77,673 individuals born in India obtained H-1B visas for new employment, accounting for 58.7% of the total. Chinese-born individuals received 18,911 visas, constituting 14.3% of the total. In fiscal year 2021, Indians secured 61.5% of the visas for initial employment, while Chinese individuals obtained 15.2% of such visas. International students continue to represent a significant portion of successful transitions from F-1 to H-1B visas.
It’s important to mention that the impact of recent layoffs in late 2022 and early 2023 is likely to be reflected in next year’s report.
