USCIS REACHES H-1B CAP FOR FY 2014

Apr. 05, 2013


NOTE: This does NOT apply to cap-exempt employers, if your H-1B employer is a college/university, college or university affiliated research institute, or a U.S. Government affiliated research institute.  Please check with your employer who is filing your H-1B petition if you have any questions.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reported on its website that they have received enough H-1B petitions, filed beginning on April 1, 2013, to meet the cap (limit) on the number of H-1B visas that can be issued for Fiscal Year 2014 (October 1, 2013-September 30, 2014).

Please read the official notice on the USCIS website linked and copied below.

If you are working with an employer who has filed an H-1B visa petition on your behalf beginning on April 1, 2013, we strongly advise that you contact the individual working with you on the H-1B petition at your employer for further guidance.  Please note that it may be some time before official notification about the status of the H-1B petition is received.

USCIS Reaches FY 2014 H-1B Cap
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5051f359827dd310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced 4/5/13 that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year (FY) 2014. USCIS has also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the advanced degree exemption. After today, USCIS will not accept H-1B petitions subject to the FY 2014 cap or the advanced degree exemption.

USCIS will use a computer-generated random selection process (commonly known as the “lottery”) for all FY 2014 cap-subject petitions received through April 5, 2013. The agency will conduct the selection process for advanced degree exemption petitions first. All advanced degree petitions not selected will be part of the random selection process for the 65,000 limit. Due to the high
number of petitions received, USCIS is not yet able to announce the exact day of the random selection process. Also, USCIS is currently not providing the total number of petitions received, as we continue to accept filings today. USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap.

USCIS will provide more detailed information about the H-1B cap next week. For more information about USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis) and the USCIS blog The Beacon.