Jul 13 2005

USCIS has received 8,000 H-1B Visas So Far for the New Exemption Cap

The USCIS announced this week that roughly 8,000 H-1B petitions it received will count against the exemption cap for fiscal year 2005, as established by Congress in the H-1B Visa Reform Act of 2004. The new regulations, which took effect in early May, changed the filing procedure for H-1B visas for FY 2005 and beyond. Based on the new regulations, 20,000 new H-1B visas were accessible for foreign workers with at least a master’s level degree from a U.S. academic institution. These visas are in addition to the standard cap of 65,000.