H-1B Cap Reached

USCIS started updating accepting applications for H1b visa on April 1, 2011. This is for Fiscal Year 2012, that starts on October 1, 2011.

USCIS provided an update today, that it has received enough applications to cover this year's quota, as per the below website:

"On November 22, 2011, USCIS received a sufficient number of petitions to reach the statutory cap for FY 2012. USCIS also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the advanced degree exemption as of October 19, 2011. USCIS will reject cap-subject petitions for new H-1B specialty occupation workers seeking an employment start date in FY 2012 that are received after November 22, 2011.

USCIS continues to accept cap-exempt petitions, DOD petitions and Chile/Singapore H-1B1 petitions requesting an employment start date in FY 2012."

It is important to note that, for the previous fiscal year the cap was reached on Jan 26, 2011, while it is Nov 22, 2011 for this fiscal year.

Below is the timeline for the previous years, when the H1b quota was over:

FY 2011: Cap reached on Jan 26, 2011

FY 2010: Cap reached on Dec 21, 2009

FY 2009: Cap reached first week, lottery on April 8, 2008.

FY 2008: Cap reached first day, lottery on April 4, 2007. Advanced degree cap reached on April 30, 2007

FY 2007: Cap reached on May 26, 2006. Advance Degree cap reached on July 26, 2006

More details and latest updates: http://www.uscis.gov/h-1b_count