Tag Archives: h-1b application

H-1B Visa Season FY-2013 Over on June 11, 2012

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The FY2013 H1B visa season that commenced on April 1, 2012 has now ended on June 11, 2012 with a dramatic acceleration in the last 6 weeks.

Since May 11, 2012 the main H-1B Visa Quota has increased 30K to the full capacity today of 65K. This represents an almost 85% increase in the last month and with recent Green Card Lottery Results now announced, unless you are an Australian and have access to the E-3 visa, a Canadian/Mexican with access to the TN visa or can do and multi-national inter-company transfer under the L-1 visa, your chances of working in the US in 2012 are now over. Of course the F-1 Visa OPT foreign graduates of US Colleges can do have an opportunity to potentially work.

The Advanced Degree exemption quota for foreigners with a US Master’s Degree is now exhausted was exhausted a few days earlier on June 7, 2012. Over the same recent month period, this went up 33% since May 11 to now be at the full 20K level.

Below is the history of the H-1B cap for both the regular and advanced degree exemption caps over the last 6 years and as you can see this year is a stark turning point of recent years where the cap has lasted till the end of the year and even in in 2011 spilling into the following calendar year

Cap Type FY2013 Cap Amount Date of Last Count
H-1B Regular Cap 65,000 6/11/2012
H-1B Master’s Exemption 20,000 6/7/2012
Cap Type FY2012 Cap Amount Date of Last Count
H-1B Regular Cap 65,000 11/22/2011
H-1B Master’s Exemption 20,000 10/21/2011
Cap Type FY2011 Cap Amount Date of Last Count
H-1B Regular Cap 65,000 1/26/2011
H-1B Master’s Exemption 20,000 12/31/2010
Cap Type FY2010 Cap Amount Date of Last Count
H-1B Regular Cap 65,000 12/21/2009
H-1B Master’s Exemption 20,000 12/21/2009
Cap Type FY2009 Cap Amount Date of Last Count
H-1B Regular Cap 65,000 4/7/2008
H-1B Master’s Exemption 20,000 4/7/2008
Cap Type FY2008 Cap Amount Date of Last Count
H-1B Regular Cap 65,000 4/3/2007
H-1B Master’s Exemption 20,000 4/4/2007

It should be noted that the related H-1B1 visa for Chilean and Singaporean citizens are not included in this cap which is about 6,800 set aside each year but is rarely filled and unused from the previous year are used in the current year. These are still being accepted for FY2013. Also please note the Official USCIS FY2013 H-1B portal.

Congrats to all those who managed to find an employer sponsor this year and I hope this help make your dreams of living in the US come true.

Cj

H1B Visa September 2011 Quote Update

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As an addition update for the Fy2012 H1B visa season that commenced April 1, 2011 we have had slow growth in the overall H1B visa quota numbers throughout the year and again like FY2011, we are about to go into the following US Immigration year.

September is the last month of the US Immigration year and October 1st is the start of the new year otherwise known as FY2012. That means if you have already been approved for an H1B visa since April 1, 2011, your new visa takes effect next month. It also means that you if you are sponsored now, given how long the application process takes even with premium processing, you will be able to start working immediately which is a great selling point for foreigners to a prospective employer and sponsor as opposed to earlier in the year.

So as of September 9, 2011, which is the most recent H1B quota update the USCIS has announced. There are currently 32,200 petitions to count towards the general 65,000 H1B visa cap which only includes petitions that are approved or pending.
Anything that has already been denied is not included.

Additionally at September 9, 16,700 petitions have been received for the US Advanced Degree exemption quota portion of 20,000. It should be noted that if the advanced degree quota fills up, then those petitions go into the pool for the regular 65,000 cap.

This equates to about a 7.000 increase in the main cap since the last USCIS update on August 12 and a 2,000 increase in the Advanced Degree Exemption category. Given over half of the main cap still is remaining the opportunities still exist as they have for the past 2 years for foreigners right through the rest of 2011 to find employers and most likely it will continue into 2012

Cap Type Cap Amount Cap Eligible Petitions Date of Last Count
H-1B Regular Cap 65,000 32,200 9/9/2011
H-1B Master’s Exemption 20,000 16,700 9/9/2011

(It should be noted that the related H-1B1 visa for Chilean and Singaporean citizens are not included in this cap)

So it would seem that there is plenty of visas still available and judging by the moderate amount of applications received thus far, traditional H1B visa sponsor companies are still nowhere the levels of hiring they were in 2006-8,

Good Luck to All Who Are Searching!

Cj