United States: H-1B Filings Increase by 4,700 Since Last Count
As of May 4, a total of 46,200 H-1B cap cases were filed for Fiscal Year 2013, USCIS has announced. This is an increase of 4,700 filings since the agency’s last count on April 27. Some 32,500 cases have now been filed against the standard H-1B cap of 65,000 and 13,700 have now been filed against the exemption of 20,000 for foreign nationals holding U.S. advanced degrees.
The cap filing total is increasing steadily and continues to outpace the rate of the last two years. At around this time in 2011, USCIS had received roughly 17,500 cap filings, while in 2010 it had received approximately 25,600 cases during a comparable period. The pace at which H-1B filings are now being received continues to confirm that this year’s quota will likely be reached earlier than the FY 2011 and FY 2012 caps. The rate of filing could accelerate further over the next few weeks, as university graduation season begins.
If your organization is planning to petition for H-1B employment in FY 2013, contact your designated Fragomen professional as soon as possible so that cases can be filed promptly.
Fragomen closely monitors the H-1B cap count and will provide further updates as the filing period proceeds. If you have any questions about this Client Alert, please contact your designated Fragomen professional.