The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reports that, as of June 1, 2012, the agency had received approximately 55,600 filings against the standard H-1B cap of 65,000, and 18,700 filings against the cap exemption of 20,000 for foreign nationals holding US advanced degrees. These numbers represent an increase of 7,200 standard and 1,200 advanced-degree filings since the last H-1B cap count on May 25, 2012.
While both standard and advanced-degree numbers remain available, employers planning to petition for FY 2013 H-1B workers must act quickly to ensure that their needs can be met. The pace of H-1B number usage is expected to accelerate further in the coming weeks as graduation season comes to a close and as the advanced-degree exemption nears exhaustion. Once the FY 2013 H-1B cap is met, new H-1B petitions will not be available again until October 1, 2013.
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