This application provides a communication method and a communications apparatus, so as to select a network slice based on a network slice deployment status. The method includes: sending, by a first network node, a first message to a second network node, where the first message includes a network slice identifier corresponding to at least one network slice in a first network slice set, the first network slice set is a network slice that needs to be accessed by a terminal device, and the second network node is a first core-network node or a second access-network node; and receiving, by the first network node, a first response message sent by the second network node, where the first response message includes a network slice identifier corresponding to at least one network slice in a second network slice set, and the second network slice set includes network slices that are used for access by the terminal device and that are determined, based on a status of a network slice supported by the second access-network node, by the second network node or a second core-network node of a communications system to which the second access-network node belongs.