H-1B Visa Numbers Reaching the Limit

There is an annual limit on the number of H-1B petitions that can be approved during the government's 2005 fiscal year (beginning October 1, 2004 and ending September 30, 2005). The H-1B cap for fiscal year 2005 is 65,000 (of which about 6,800 are reserved for nationals of Chile and Singapore under Free Trade Agreements with those countries).  Certain foreign nationals who hold or have held H-1B status and employees of certain institutions of higher education and non-profit and government research organizations are not subject to the cap.  For additional information about the cap exemptions, please view Managing the H-1B cap.