FY2011 H-1B Numbers Update – 29,700 Regular and 12,300 Masters Cap Visas Used (August 13, 2010)

USCIS released the weekly FY2011 information on the numbers of cap-subject H-1Bs filed since April 1.   As of August 13, 2010, USCIS has received approximately 29,700 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 1,200 over the past week).  Similarly, as of August 13, there were 12,300 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of only 400 over the past week).

H-1B Quota Trends

The numbers, as reported over the past few weeks – confirm the trend that there was a very small weekly increase in the number of H-1B filings for the regular and Masters’s caps filings compared to the weeks prior.  The overall trend shows that the H-1B filings for the regular cap may be increasing slightly while the U.S. master’s cap filings remain slow. As a result and if the current trend remains, we estimate that the H-1B quota will remain open  for a considerable time.  We wish to caution potential H-1B employers and employees that as the U.S. economy is seen to recover and grow, it is possible that the pace of H-1B filings will increase.

We invite you to subscribe to our free weekly immigration newsletter to receive timely updates on this and related topics.  In the meantime, if you are considering filing a cap-subject H-1B petition as part of the FY2011 quota, please contact us as soon as possible — it is never too early to file a cap-subject H-1B petition.