USCIS fiscal year begins: Visa caps reset for H-1B, EB-2, and H-2B applicants

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officially began its new fiscal year on October 1, 2025—resetting visa quotas across key immigration categories including H-1B, EB-2, and H-2B.

Each year, the USCIS fiscal calendar runs from October 1 to September 30. With the start of FY 2026, annual visa limits have been refreshed, offering new opportunities for immigrants and U.S. employers after previous caps were exhausted.

For family-sponsored preference immigrants, the cap remains at 226,000. Employment-based visas are limited to at least 140,000, with per-country caps set at 7% (25,620) and 2% (7,320) for dependent areas.

EB-2 Visas:
The EB-2 category—reserved for professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability—is capped at 28.6% of the total employment-based limit. FY 2025's allocation has been exhausted, but consulates can now resume issuing new EB-2 visas under the FY 2026 quota.

H-1B Visas:
USCIS has already received enough petitions to meet the FY 2026 cap: 65,000 for the regular pool and 20,000 for the master’s cap. However, petitions that are cap-exempt—such as extensions, employer changes, or concurrent employment—will continue to be processed. Employers filing H-1B petitions after September 21 must pay a $100,000 integrity fee per new hire.

H-2B Visas:
The non-agricultural H-2B worker program has also hit its 33,000 cap for the first half of FY 2026. Petitions received after the September 12 deadline will only be considered if unused slots from the first half remain available. The total cap for H-2B visas remains at 66,000 annually.

As visa issuance resumes under new quotas, applicants and employers are urged to track deadlines closely. USCIS’s new fiscal year determines how and when visas can be allocated, and missing cap windows may mean waiting another full year.