H1B Quota Still OPEN as of April 23rd 2009 USCIS

By CROW -

According to the USCIS, as of April 20, 2009 there are still a substantial number of slots open under the fiscal year 2010 H1B "regular cap" quota. The CIS reports that the "advanced degree exception" of 20,000 H1B numbers has been exhausted. They further report that as of the end of last week, they had received 44,000 new H1B petitions that have been counted against the 65,000 "regular cap."

How long the quota will remain open is anyone's guess. The USCIS figures are less than reassuring as to their accuracy. On April 9th, that agency initially reported that petitions equal to "almost half" the regular cap of 65,000 had been filed during the first five business days that petitions were accepted. Two business days later (April 13th), they reported that they had received 43,000 petitions in total. Taken at face value, that would have meant that they received at least another 11,000 petitions during those two business days. Five business days later (April 20th), the USCIS reported that they had received approximately 44,000 petitions. Either their earlier count was seriously wrong or employer suddenly stopped filing new petitions.

If the figure of 44,000 petitions filed as of April 20th is accurate, it likely means that the fiscal year 2010 H1B quota will remain open for several more weeks, at least. We have to assume that the large number of initial filings was due to concerns that the quota would be exhausted quickly. The additional 12,000 or so petitions filed following the initial surge represent a clear continuing demand for H1B visas. Even so, it is likely that the greater part of the immediate demand for H1B visas likely has been satisfied and the rate of filing will now slow down.

The filing total for the first week was approximately 31,000 petitions. This works out to an average of 6,200 per day. The next week and a half saw an additional 13,000 filings - approximately 1,850 per day. The CIS should release another count on Monday, April 27th and that will provide us with an opportunity to determine whether the rate of filings has slowed, and if so, by how much.

In any case, it would appear that the quota is likely to remain open for at least the balance of April and very likely into early if not mid May.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stock Buzz Jan 14th 2010

By CROW -
02:23 PM Thursday , 14 January It is a steady session for our market. Sensex is trading at 17,601, up 90 points and Nifty is at 5,264, up 30 points from the previous close. Source : IRIS 01:51 PM Thursday , 14 January Our market is seeing some turbulence and trending little lower. But the midcap out performance continues. Sensex is trading at 17,540, up 30 points and Nifty is at 5,246, up 12 points from the previous close. Source : IRIS 01:50 PM Thursday , 14 January The market is trading firm. Sensex is trading at 17,588, up 78 points and Nifty is at 5,262, up 28 points from the previous close. Source : IRIS 01:49 PM Thursday , 14 January At this hour the market has come off the morning`s high but still trading with gains. Asian markets are also looking firm. Sensex is trading at 17,569, up 59 points from its previous close, and Nifty is at 5,257, up 23 points. Source : IRIS 09:46 AM Thursday , 14 January The market opens on a reasonably strong note. Earlier, the
Read more

How OBAMA stimulus bill affects you

By CROW -
Image
Part 2 Contd ....   Environment The package includes $9.2 billion for environmental projects at the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. The money would be used to shutter abandoned mines on public lands, help local governments protect drinking water supplies, and erect energy-efficient visitor centers at wildlife refuges and national parks. The Interior Department estimates that its portion of the work would generate about 100,000 jobs in the next two years. Yet the plan will make only a dent in the backlog of cleanup projects facing the EPA and in the long list of chores at the country's national parks, refuges and other public lands. Talk back: How will you use your tax refund? The plan sets aside $735 million for road repairs and maintenance at national parks. But that's just a fraction of the $9 billion worth of work waiting for funding. At the EPA, the payout is $7.2 billion. The bulk of the money will help local communities and states
Read more

Take care of your parents. THEY ARE PRECIOUS.

By CROW -
This was narrated by an IAF pilot at a Seminar recently on Human Relations : Venkatesh Balasubramaniam (who works for IIT) describes how his gesture of booking an air ticket for his father, his maiden flight, brought forth a rush of emotions and made him (Venkatesh) realize that how much we all take for granted when it comes to our parents. My parents left for our native place on Thursday and we went to the airport to see them off. In fact, my father had never traveled by air before, so I just took this opportunity to make him experience the same. In spite of being asked to book tickets by train, I got them tickets on Jet Airways . The moment I handed over the tickets to him, he was surprised to see that I had booked them by air. The excitement was very apparent on his face, waiting for the time of travel. Just like a school boy, he was  preparing himself on that day and we all went to the airport, right from using the trolley for his luggage, the baggage check-in and asking for
Read more