Apr 29, 2009
USCIS Updates FY 2010 H-1B Numbers; 45,000 Petitions Received 

USCIS has just updated information regarding the number of H-1B petitions it has received for Fiscal Year 2010. According to USCIS, as of April 27, 2009, the government agency has received roughly 45,000 H-1B petitions that would be counted against the annual cap of 65,000 H-1B visa numbers for the fiscal year. As a reminder, USCIS has already received and accepted roughly 20,000 petitions from individuals with master’s degrees or higher from a U.S. institution of higher education; that cap-exempt category has been filled for FY 2010.

On April 9, USCIS had roughly 42,000 petitions; only 3,000 additional petitions have been received since that date. While it would appear that the amount of petitions submitted is fairly stagnant, it is important to note that 6,800 of the total 65,000 available H-1B petitions are reserved for Chilean and Singaporean nationals. Employer interested in submitting cap-subject H-1B petitions should plan on filing their petitions as soon as they can.