Path to US visa now tougher for Indians? H-1B visa registrations hit 4-year low due to stricter lottery rules

The number of eligible registrations for the annual H-1B visa lottery dropped to around 343,981 this March for FY2026, as against 470,342 in FY2025. This marks the lowest total in four years, according to data released by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Tuesday.

The decline comes in the second year of USCIS's revised lottery system, which gives each individual equal odds of selection, regardless of how many times they are registered by different employers. The agency introduced this change to curb the practice of companies filing multiple registrations for the same worker, which it said compromised the integrity of the selection process.

Single registrations down, duplicate entries nearly wiped out

While duplicate submissions continued to decline for the second straight year, the number of workers with a single eligible registration also fell. This year, multiple registrations accounted for just over 2% of all eligible entries, down sharply from over 50% in the previous fiscal cycle.

Overall, the number of eligible registrations dropped by more than 26.5% compared to last year.

With visa transfer processes increasingly vulnerable and re-entry rules tightening, even legally compliant workers are being caught off guard. Some H-1B visa holders returning from India are being denied re-entry or having both their B1 and H-1B visas cancelled at ports of entry.

Higher fees and stricter scrutiny reshape the H-1B landscape

This was also the first H-1B selection cycle under the new $215 registration fee, a steep increase from the earlier $10 charge. Despite the drop in submissions, applications still far outnumbered the 85,000 visas available annually under the cap for speciality occupations.

The H-1B program, widely used by U.S. tech companies to hire high-skilled foreign professionals, has long been a flashpoint in American immigration debates. Initially overhauled under the Trump administration, the registration system continues to evolve amid political scrutiny.