US H-1B visa numbers available for 2011

United States, 20th August: US H-1B visa numbers are still available for the year FY (Fiscal Year) 2011, states the USCIS.

The US immigration department USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) has maintained that out of the total annual cap of 65,000 US H-1B visas, nearly 28,500 H-1B cap have been received till 6th August 2010. 

And the USCIS has received around 11,900 petitions for foreign workers having advanced degrees including a Master’s or higher degree from any US college or university for the total annual cap of 20,000 additional H-1B visas. 

Hence, all employers in the US can file petitions for US H-1B temporary foreign workers seeking the employment commencement date of October 1, 2010 onwards. 

US H-1B visas enjoy a good demand among the foreign workers to work in the US and the availability of US H-1B visa numbers is considered to be an excellent opportunity for employers in the US wanting to hire foreign workers for working in the US.

US H-1B visas provide the US employers a chance to hire foreign workforce having specialized skills and professional qualifications in certain specialty occupations including engineering, computer science, scientific, marketing and finance.

Hence, all employers are encouraged to take timely action and move ahead by interviewing the potential candidates for US H-1B visas and hand over the offers of jobs in the US at the earliest. This is due to the fact that once the annual cap of US H-1B visas is reached for the current fiscal year; the employers will not be allowed to get any new US H-1B visa till the beginning of the new FY, i.e. on or after 1st October 2011.

Meanwhile, an important point worth consideration is that the annual cap on US visas is only meant for new H-1B petitions. So, any petitions for extension of the US H-1B status will not come under this ruling. Also, any petition for transfer of a US H-1B visa from one company or employer to the other will also not be subject to the annual cap by US immigration. Employers including universities and colleges are also exempt from the annual limits on H-1B visas.