Update on H-2B Visa Count

USCIS has provided two recent updates on the numbers on the H-2B visa count.  The two recent updates are useful because it allows us to sample the rate at which H-2B visa numbers are being used.

The July 1 announcement stated that the H-2B count, as of July 1, stands at 17,305 for the first half of FY 2009.  The July 7 announcement stated that the H-2B count, as of July 7, stands at 20,390, an increase of nearly 3,000 over a period of less than a week. It should be noted that the period included the July 4th holiday, so it is safe to assume that the actual filing rate is somewhat higher.

The cap for the first half of FY 2009 is set at 33,000, so based on current demand at a rate of 3,000 visa petitions in 6 days, we anticipate that the remaining numbers will be exhausted some time in August.  This expectation assumes that the rate of 3,000 visa petitions per 6 days will not change.