H-1 B Count FY2013

H-1 B Count FY2013 The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) continues to accept H-1B petitions for the fiscal year 2013 cap season. U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields, such as scientists, engineers, or computer programmers. Most H-1B petitions are subject to the annual 65,000 H-1B numerical limitation (the “cap”). Some petitions are exempt from the cap under the advanced degree exemption, which is granted to the first 20,000 petitions filed for a beneficiary who has obtained a U.S. Master’s degree or higher. USCIS began accepting H-1B petitions that are subject to the FY 2013 cap on Monday, April 2, 2012. As of April 20, 2012, USCIS has received 25,000 cap-eligible petitions, well below the 65,000 cap. It also received 10,900 petitions in the Master’s Degree Exemption category, also below the 20,000 cap. USCIS updates the count weekly and will continue accepting petitions until the cap is reached. You can check the most recent count at the USCIS website: H-1B Count. I.S. Law Firm has helped a number of foreign professionals to successfully obtain H-1B work visas. We have also assisted alien professionals in obtaining extensions for their H-1B work visas, and helped H-1B visa holders through the process of changing employers. For more information, please contact us at +1-703-527-1779 or via e-mail at law@islawfirm.com.