H-1B Visa: 120,142 registrations selected for 2026, the lowest since 2021, under the leadership of Elon Musk

The Donald Trump administration has selected 120,141 H -1B visa applications for 2026, US citizenship and immigration services revealed in its recently published data. This is the lowest since 2021, when H -1B became a controversial issue before Donald Trump’s inauguration of January.Make America Great again the camp was divided ideologically on the issue, in which Elon Musk picked for H -1B reforms and enhanced the cap, while old -MAGA activists such as Steve Bann, Laura Lumor said H -1B should be stopped and Americans should be hired.H -1B is a visa program that allows American companies to hire skilled migrants from outside. Donald Trump said he is in favor of increasing the H -1B cap, but USIS data suggests that about two -thirds of applications were rejected due to the low annual H -1B limit. The immigration service selects every year by lottery, the agency receives more H -1B electronic registration than the annual limit permissible. The H -1B annual limit is 65,000 and 20,000 discounts for individuals with advanced degrees from an American university. For the last two decades, employers have ended quota every year.For 2026, USCIS received 343,981 eligible registrations, declining 470,342 to 27% for FY 2025. A Forbes report blamed the high immigration fee for a decline in registration. A biden administration fee rule increased the cost of filing the H-1B registration for FY 2026 from $ 10 to $ 215.

Year -wise data on H -1B registration. (Courtesy: USCIS)

Industries such as technology, finance and educationists remain some of the biggest beneficiaries of the H -1B visa program. In 2024, major firms like Amazon, Google and Meta were awarded thousands of H -1B visas. Tesla of Elon Musk also used the program to bring hundreds of skilled workers to the United States. “H-1B visa number for FY 2026: Despite Mass Tech Sorting and Voter Backlash-H-1 B uptar-trump stays with hands after Christmas: 120,141 new H-1BS selected for FY2026. The demand is more than the sort-a clear indication is that we are being replaced.”