Employers who are considering filing an H-1B petition on behalf of a foreign worker during the current federal fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, 2012, should consider filing as soon as possible, since the H-1B cap may be reached during November or December 2011. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on Oct. 7, 2011, that it has received approximately 41,000 H-1B petitions counting toward the congressionally mandated 65,000 quota and that it has received about 19,100 H-1B petitions toward the 20,000 advanced degree quota. Universities, nonprofit research centers, and certain related entities are exempt from the H-1B cap, as are H-1B extensions and H-1B change of employer petitions for persons already counted against the H-1B cap in prior years.
For more information visit www.uscis.gov/h-1b_count.