U.S. gets 124,000 H-1B petitions, 45% above cap
April 8, 2013 05:10 PM ET
The federal government on Monday reported that it had received 124,000 H-1B visa petitions, 39,000 more than it can fulfill under two hiring caps.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service on Sunday held a computer-generated lottery to distribute the visas, which can be used during the federal government's 2014 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. With the lottery, a U.S.-based company that may be seeking only one or two H-1B visas is on the same footing as a large overseas-based offshore outsourcing firm that may have petitioned for thousands of temporary visas.
The U.S. has two caps: a limit of 20,000 visas reserved for people from other countries who hold advanced degrees from U.S. universities, and a cap of 65,000 on H-1B visas with no restrictions.
Advanced-degree holders who are applying for the 20,000 H-1Bs reserved for them have an edge because that lottery is held first. Those not selected become part of the pool competing for the remaining 65,000 visas.
More: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9238243/U.S._gets_124_000_H_1B_petitions_45_above_cap