USCIS Updates the Number of H-1Bs that have been Filed Under Fiscal Year 2011

Each year, beginning on October 1st, USCIS releases 65,000 H-1B visas for individuals seeking to enter the U.S. to assume professional positions. 20,000 of the 65,000 are reserved for individuals who obtained a Masters Degree or higher from a U.S. University.

Companies who are seeking H-1B workers beginning October 1st can file for those visas as early as April 1st. As of June 15, 2010, USCIS has only received 22,000 applications for the 65,000 slots and has only received 9,400 applications for the Masters degree exemption.

In previous years, there have been as many as 200,000 applications filed for the 65,000 visas available on the first day that companies can file. The ebbs and flows of the visa applications is a clear indicator that immigration levels are intricately tied to economic factors and that natural economic factors of supply and demand drive the levels of immigration to our economy.