USCIS will begin accepting petitions for H-1B visas for Fiscal Year 2007 on April 1, 2006. The H–1B visas are expected to run out as soon as late August 2006, given the the pentup demand for H–1B visas carried over from the last fiscal year and the low number of H-1B visas allotted for FY 2007:  65,000 for persons subject to the H-1B cap, and 20,000 for individuals who hold a master's or higher degree from a U.S. university.

Not all petitions are subject to the cap. H-1B extensions, amendments and H-1B transfers from one company to another are not affected by the cap. Also unaffected are persons who are exempt from the cap, such as persons seeking employment through institutions of higher education, nonprofit research organizations, and government research organizations.

If you have concerns about the timing or filing of your H-1B petition, you should consider filing a premium processing application to speed the processing of your petition. Please contact our office if you would like to learn more.