H-1B Numbers Dwindling for FY 2012, File Now!

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on October 21, 2011, that it has accepted (approved or pending) 46,200 H-1B petitions subject to the 65,000 numerical limitation (cap) for fiscal year (FY) 2011. Up to 6,800 visas are set aside from the 65,000 cap during each fiscal year for the H-1B1 program under the terms of legislation implementing the U.S.-Chile and U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreements.

Also, the 20,000 cap for those with advanced U.S. degrees has been reached. By contrast, last year as of October 29, 2010, only 16,700 had been used.

The Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers (ABIL) recommends that employers needing H-1B workers file quickly. Once the numbers under the cap are gone, the next opportunity to file will be April 1, 2012, for work to begin in FY 2013.