FY2012 H-1B Numbers Update – 41,000 Regular and 19,100 Masters Cap Visas Used (October 7, 2011)

USCIS just released the information on the numbers of cap-subject FY2012 H-1Bs filed since April 1.   As of October 7, 2011, USCIS has received approximately41,000 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 4,700 over the previous two weeks).  Similarly, as of October 7, there were 19,100 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of about 1,400 over the previous two weeks).

H-1B Quota Trends – Slow Rate of Filings; Regular Cap H-1B Filings Slightly Up; H-1B Masters Cap to Close Soon; Regular H-1B Cap Likely to Remain Open for Several Months

The numbers, as just reported for the past two weeks, confirm that the rate of filing of new cap-subject H1B filings is fairly slow, and remaining steady.  We have been noticing a slightly higher than average weekly rate of filing of 2,000, compared to 1,000-1,500 previously, for the regular H-1B cap.   The rate for the U.S. Masters H-1B cap has remained steady – at 500-700 per week.   More than six months into this H-1B cap filing season, we can draw some (fairly) reliable conclusions on how long the cap would remain open: given the rate of filings for the past several weeks and since the H-1B cap opened, while we expect the H-1B Masters Cap to close soon, it is likely that the H-1B regular cap would remain open well into 2012.

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 FY2012 quota, please contact us.