The USCIS California Service Center has reported that 22,323 cap-subject H-1B visa petitions have been received as of April 4, 2012. Approximately 25% of those cases are for workers with U.S. advanced degrees. This means the number of filings received in the first days of the FY2013 filing season are more than double the number of filings received by USCIS during the first week of the FY2012 filing season.
The annual cap on H-1B visas is 65,000. Not all H-1B petitions are subject to this annual cap. For example, some are exempt from the cap under the advanced degree exemption provided to the first 20,000 petitions filed for a beneficiary who has obtained a U.S. master’s degree or higher.
At the current rate of use, H-1B visas will run out quickly this year. If you need to file an H-1B visa for an employee, you need to hurry!
