08 September,2009 11:25 AM IST | | PTI
About 20,000 H1B visas, one of the most sought after for overseas professionals including Indians, are still up for grabs in the US which is struggling to fill up the allocated number of 65,000, even as less than a month remains before for the start of the next financial year.
Primarily meant for computers and information technology professionals, the H1B visas have been one of the most sought after for foreign professionals in previous years.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has been receiving several times the number of the allocated quota. However, this year, the USCIS is struggling to fill up the 65,000 H1B visas as mandated by the US Congress.
This is mainly attributed to the strict approval policy adopted by the USCIS this year and the ongoing economic recession, which has resulted in a 26-year high unemployment rate of 9.7 per cent in the US.
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"As of August 28, 2009, approximately 45,100 H1B cap-subject petitions and approximately 20,000 petitions qualifying for the advanced degree cap exemption had been filed," the USCIS said in a statement.
USCIS will continue to accept both cap-subject petitions and advanced degree petitions until a sufficient number of H-1B petitions have been received to reach the statutory limits, taking into account the fact that some of these petitions may be denied, revoked, or withdrawn, it said.
