pWotD Episode 3063: H-1B visa
Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.
With 294,333 views on Saturday, 20 September 2025 our article of the day is H-1B visa.
The H-1B is a classification of non-immigrant visa in the United States that allows U. S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations, as well as fashion models and employees engaged in Department of Defense projects who meet certain conditions. The regulation and implementation of visa programs are carried out by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency within the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Foreign nationals may have H-1B status while present in the United States, and may or may not have a physical H-1B visa stamp.
INA section 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b), codified at 8 USC 1184 (i)(1) defines "specialty occupation" as an occupation that requires
(A) theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge, and
(B) attainment of a bachelor's degree or higher degree in the specific specialty (or its equivalent) as a minimum for entry into the occupation in the United States. [1]
H-1B visa status holders typically have an initial three-year stay in the U. S. They are entitled to a maximum of six years of physical presence in H-1B status. After reaching certain milestones in the green card process, H-1B status can be extended beyond the six-year maximum. The number of initial H-1B visas issued each fiscal year is capped at 65,000, with an additional 20,000 visas available for individuals who have earned a master's degree or higher from a U. S. institution, for a total of 85,000. Some employers are exempt from this cap. Sponsorship by an employer is required for applicants.
In 2019, the USCIS estimated there were 583,420 foreign nationals on H-1B visas in the United States. Between 1991 and 2022, the number of H-1B visas issued quadrupled. 265,777 H-1B visas were approved in 2022, the second-largest category of visa in terms of the number of foreign workers after the 310,676 H-2A visas issued to temporary, seasonal, agriculture workers.
The H-1B program has been criticized for potentially subsidizing businesses, creating conditions likened to modern indentured servitude, institutionalizing discrimination against older workers, and suppressing wages within the technology sector. Economists and academics remain divided on the program's overall effect, including its effects on innovation, U. S. workers, and the broader economy.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:29 UTC on Sunday, 21 September 2025.
For the full current version of the article, see H-1B visa on Wikipedia.
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Until next time, I'm neural Brian.
