New data has been released on cap-subject H-1b petitions. USCIS only allows 65,000 cap-subject petitions each year to be filed with USCIS. From the 65,000 petitions, there are currently 29,000 pending petitions that need a decision.There are 21,968 approved petitions, with 7,078 denied petitions. Taking the approval/denial ratio into consideration, it appears that 3 out of 4 petitions are being approved by USCIS. Notwithstanding any decisions overturned through the appeals process, that 75% rate is still low compared to years back where the approval rate for H-1b cap-subject petitions was closer to 90% approval rate.
Whether these numbers still reflect a concern for petitions based on fraud or whether it is based on any focus on bigger companies versus smaller companies filing the petitions, the fact is that USCIS has increased denials and even more cases were likely delayed approval because of requests for evidence on those cases. Hopefully the rest of the cases that are still pending will be met with more approvals.