On May 7, 2012, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) reported that it has received approximately 32,500 H-1B petitions towards the 65,000 cap with approximately 13,700 petitions toward the 20,000 cap exemption for individuals with advanced degrees.
This means that more than one half of the available regular cap-subject H-1B visas and more than one half of those set aside for U.S. Master’s degree holders have already been allocated. This is a clear indication that the H-1B visa cap will be reached much sooner this year than in recent years.
Employers who wish to employ any professional or specialty occupation employees during the next year should contact legal counsel to file H-1 cap-subject petitions as soon as possible or risk not being able to retain/employee such individuals.