WASHINGTON: Applications for US H-1B visas, the most sought after by Indian professionals for working in America, have reached the Congressional-mandated cap of 65,000 for the current fiscal with USCIS receiving an unusually high number of petitions in the first four weeks of this month.
In a statement, US Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year 2011.
Given that some 11,000 H-1B visas were still available at the end of 2010, USCIS received an unusually high number of applications in the first four weeks of this month.
The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa in the US which allows American companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations.
In 2009, the cap of 65,000 was reached on December 21.