As you may know, each year, the U.S. government makes available
a limited amount of visas in the H-1B Specialty Occupation
temporary work visa classification. For its Fiscal Year 2014, U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") will begin
to accept H-1B cap petitions for filing starting on April 1, 2013,
six months before the start of Fiscal Year 2014.
What Is the H-1B Annual Quota?
The annual cap or quota on H-1B visas is 85,000. Of that number,
20,000 are reserved for foreign nationals who have received a
master's or more advanced degree from a United States
university. However, not all employers are subject to the cap.
For example, employers filing H-1B petition extensions or
amendments on behalf of foreign nationals already working in H-1B
visa status for the existing employer are exempt from the quota. In
addition, employers filing new petitions to change H-1B employers
on behalf of a foreign national working in H-1B visa status for a
different
