What Happens to 500,000+ Unselected H-1B Applicants Every Year?

Every year, hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals, especially from India, pin their hopes on the U.S. H-1B visa lottery. But with the cap fixed at 85,000 and total applications far exceeding that number, the odds of being selected are slimmer than ever.

So, what becomes of the half-a-million talented engineers, designers, and analysts who don’t make it through the system? Increasingly, they’re taking an alternate route, one that doesn’t require relocation, a visa, or even a plane ticket.

The Global Talent Pool Left Behind

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the number of H-1B registrations has fluctuated significantly over recent years.

For FY 2025, USCIS reported 470,342 eligible registrations, a 38.6% drop compared with 758,994 eligible registrations in FY 2024.

This means that hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals remain unmatched to U.S. employers each year, despite demand for their expertise continuing to rise.

In previous years, many of these individuals would:

• Reapply the following year
• Seek opportunities in countries like Canada or Australia
• Or settle for local roles that didn’t fully utilize their skills or salary potential

Today, however, a new alternative is gaining ground: working remotely for U.S. companies via Employer of Record (EOR) partners.

The Rise of Remote-First Hiring

The global shift toward remote work has completely changed the equation for employers and job seekers alike.

Through EOR partners, companies can compliantly hire skilled professionals in India, the Philippines, Eastern Europe, or Latin America without the need to set up local entities or navigate complex tax and legal frameworks.

“The H-1B process used to be the gatekeeper for global talent. Now, EOR models have unlocked a borderless hiring economy; one where opportunity is based on skill, not geography. 

Instead of waiting years for a visa lottery result, skilled workers can now work with U.S. startups, product companies, or Fortune 500s from their home country,” says Aditya Nagpal, Founder & CEO of Wisemonk.

A Win-Win for Both Employers and Professionals

For employers, hiring through an EOR partner eliminates:

• Sponsorship fees and relocation logistics
• Legal and compliance headaches
• Long waiting periods before onboarding talent

They can onboard a new international employee in a matter of days, not months.

For professionals, this model bridges the gap between ambition and access. They can work with top-tier U.S. firms, earn globally competitive salaries, and maintain family and cultural ties; all without the uncertainty and emotional strain of visa lotteries.

“Preliminary insights from our client network suggest that a significant share of remote professionals previously explored U.S. work visa options such as the H-1B before turning to cross-border employment. Many of these skilled workers view Employer of Record (EOR) models as a practical way to collaborate with U.S. companies without relocating. We’re currently conducting a broader analysis to better understand how global talent is shifting from visa-dependent migration to remote-first career paths.”

How Companies Are Rethinking Hiring

With global talent shortages, tech layoffs, and ongoing hybrid work trends, remote hiring is no longer a fallback; it’s becoming a strategic advantage.

The H-1B program, designed in the 1990s, was built for a different era, one where relocation was essential for collaboration. In 2025, distributed teams, cloud infrastructure, and EOR compliance frameworks will have redefined what global hiring looks like.

“We’ve seen too many great people forced to leave due to visa limits. With an EOR, that doesn’t have to happen. Companies can keep their H-1B workers onboard, no matter where they live, while staying compliant with every local regulation.” says Aditya Nagpal, Founder & CEO of Wisemonk.

The Bottom Line

The H-1B visa will always play an important role in connecting global talent with U.S. opportunities. However, its structural limitations are encouraging employers and professionals to reimagine what cross-border work can look like.

For the 500,000+ skilled workers who go unselected each year, the dream of working with U.S. companies no longer ends with the lottery.

It simply takes a new form, one powered by modern EOR models and a global-first mindset.

EOR platforms like Wisemonk are bridging that gap, ensuring that geography no longer limits opportunity in today’s world of work.