FY2012 H-1B Numbers Update – 56,300 Regular Cap Visas Used; Master’s Cap Reached; Last Call for H-1B Cap Cases (November 14, 2011)

USCIS just released the information on the numbers of cap-subject FY2012 H-1Bs filed since April 1.   As November 14, 2011, USCIS has received approximately 56,300 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 7,100 over the previous two weeks).  Similarly, as of November 14, there were 20,000 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit.

H-1B Quota Trends – Rate of Regular Cap H-1B Filings Increases Significantly; H-1B Masters Cap Reached

The numbers, as just reported for the past week, confirm that the rate of filing of new cap-subject H-1B filings is increasing significantly.  Now that the H-1B U.S. Master’s cap has been reached, all H-1B filings (regardless of level of education) will be counted under the regular H-1B cap.   As a result, we expect the average weekly rate of filings to be around 3,500, compared to 1,000-1,500 previously.     Additionally, we often see a rush of filings towards the end of the cap season as employers realize that the cap is about to close, so we anticipate the rate of filings to increase over the next few weeks.

H-1B Cap Likely to Close by Late November or Early December 2011 — Last Call for Cap-Subject H-1B Filings

Given an estimated rate of H-1B filings of 3,500 per week for the next few weeks, and given that there are approximately 9,000 H-1B visa numbers left towards meeting the annual cap, it is likely that the H-1B cap for FY2012 will be reached towards the end of the year — likely by the end of November or early December  2011.

Considering the fact that an H-1B petition takes at a minimum 7 to 10 business days to file, we urge all employers and future H-1B workers to start the H-1B filing process as soon as possible.    If you are considering filing a cap-subject H-1B petition as part of the FY2012 quota, please contact us.   We also invite you to subscribe to our free weekly immigration newsletter to receive timely updates on this and related topics.