H-1B FY17 Report: IT Positions Ranked at Top

Each year, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) releases an annual report outlining the major trends in the specialty occupation program. The report gathers data for the last fiscal year and analyzes major trends in comparison to previous years. The fiscal year 2017 report, which covers from October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2018, has many surprising trends. Overall, the number of approved H-1B petitions rose 5.9% from FY16. Although the last couple of years have been difficult for foreign nationals, the report proves that the United States remains an attractive location for a highly skilled foreign workforce.

Major Trends

Of the 403, 675 H-1B petitions filed in FY17, millennials and IT professionals were among the major winners. Two out of three petitions filed for workers between the ages of 25 and 34 (millennial workers) were approved. Nearly 70% of allapproved petitions were for IT professionals, including those in computer programming occupations. This comes as a positive indicator in light of the USCIS memorandum covering computer programming positions. The memo, challenged the classification of computer programing as a valid specialty occupation under the H-1B program. Consequently, many firms reported challenges to petitions that listed the occupations as “computer programmer.” Regardless, FY17 saw a steady stream of computer related H-1B workers.

In addition to rising numbers, the report details the country of origin distribution for petitions both for non-immigrants in the U.S. and abroad. Over 200,000 petitions came from citizens of India, the largest contributor. Far behind, petitions from citizens of China came in around 19,000, the second largest contributor. Of all petitions, over a forth of beneficiaries had a master’s degree; over 13,000 held a Ph.D.

Conclusions

Although the report indicates some rising trends in H-1B petition approvals, much of the change can be attributed to previously pending cases. The stricter regulations against legal immigration may not appear until the FY18 report is released. However, the report brings hope for some industries, especially those occupied in IT (i.e. computer programmers).