Why an H-1B approval count is not the number of workers

The facts

1. 01USCIS reports H-1B petition approvals and denials by employer and fiscal year in its H-1B Employer Data Hub.
2. 02A petition can be an initial petition for new employment, or a continuing one — an extension, an amendment, or a change of employer for someone already in H-1B status. One worker can be the beneficiary of more than one approved petition over time.
3. 03The figure is a count of first decisions on petitions, which USCIS labels "counts of workers approved"; appeals, revocations and pending petitions are excluded. It is not a count of people currently in H-1B status.
4. 04It is not a count of visas either. Visas are issued by the State Department at consular posts, and many H-1B workers change to or extend the status from inside the United States without a visa being issued.
5. 05ImmigrationClock's employer directory shows approvals and denials as USCIS reports them, labelled "reported", and keeps them separate from State Department issuance figures.