What is the H-1B Cap?
The cap refers to the limit of H-1B visas allowed per federal fiscal year (FY). A fiscal year begins on October 1st and ends on September 30th of the following year. Current regulations set the cap at 65,000 H-1B visas for the entire country. Applications are accepted at the USCIS on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The H-1B cap is currently set at the very low number of 65,000 per year, and 20,000 were recently added as cap-exempt for graduates of U.S. master’s degree programs or higher. The visas are released each year on October 1, however, one can apply for the October 1 released visas on April 1, 6 months in advance. ILG strongly recommends filing as early as possible, as all of the FY 2005 H-1B visas were taken on the first day of the year, October 1. Certain employers and employees are exempt from the annual H-1B cap.
