News Update - November 7, 2009
By Alan Lee, Esq.†‡
Surge in H-1B Cap Filings Sparks Fears That Cap Will Close Soon
As of October 30, 2009, approximately 53,800 H-1B cap-subject petitions had been filed. A month ago, only 46,700 applications had been filed. This spike of 7,100 applications means that USCIS could stop accepting H-1B applications as early as the end of November. With a cap of 65,000 applications accepted per year, this means there is room for only 11,200 more applications.
The 20,000 H1-B visas separately allotted for foreign workers with a Master’s or higher level degree from a U.S. academic institution has already been surpassed, with the overflow applicants thrown into the general pool of 65,000 available H-1B visas.
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