Legal Update

May 17, 2006

H-1B Numbers - Less than Half Remain

Click for PDF


Background
There is an annual limit on the number of H-1B petitions that can be approved during the government's 2007 fiscal year (beginning October 1, 2006 and ending September 30, 2007). The H-1B cap for fiscal year 2007 is 65,000 (of which about 6,800 are reserved for nationals of Chile and Singapore under Free Trade Agreements with those countries). U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began accepting petitions for FY 2006 as of April 1, 2006. There is an additional quota of 20,000 H-1B's which are reserved for persons who hold a master's degree or higher awarded by a United States college or university. This additional quota of 20,000 H-1B's is not in danger of being reached at this time.

Seyfarth Shaw LLP provides this information as a service to clients and other friends for educational purposes only. It should not be construed or relied on as legal advice or to create a lawyer-client relationship. Readers should not act upon this information without seeking advice from their professional advisers.