The first information about petitions submitted for the Fiscal Year
2012 H-1B program has just been posted by USCIS and, as expected, the
amount of petitions received by the federal agency are low. As was seen
last year, only a small handful of companies have submitted requests
for highly skilled workers under the H-1B program. As of April 7, 2011,
a total of 5,900 petitions have been received for the regular cap
program and 4,500 petitions have been received for the H-1B Master’s
Exemption category.
A total of 65,000 H-1B visas are available each year, according to
current federal regulations. USCIS has also receipted 20,000 H-1B
petitions for foreign workers with advanced degrees, leaving no
additional available visa under that exemption.
