John Valdez’s Legal Blog

For many years, immigration attorneys have been advising employers to file their H-1B petitions on the first day possible each year, April 1st, because the number of petitions will far exceed the number of available visas under the H-1B Cap during the first week that petitions may be submitted.  This year is proving to be an anomaly.   

Indeed, we are now in the fourth month of the H-1B season and there are still plenty of H-1B visas available.  The USCIS just announced that as of July 3, 2009, there are still 20,000 H-1B visas available, and there are few new petitions being submitted.  At the current rate, it is likely that H-1B visas will be available for many months.

The reason for the availability of H-1B visas is undoubtedly the slow economy.  There are simply fewer offers of employment.  This situation is great for companies that want to hire professional nonimmigrants.  If you need help processing an H-1B visa, please contact us.