Less than 6,000 H-1B visa application received in first week

[pampango]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/visa-and-immigration/less-than-6000-h-1b-visa-application-received-in-first-week/articleshow/7923910.cms

The H-1B visa, the most sought after by India . IT professionals has opened to a lackluster response, with less than 6,000 applications received after it opened on April 1.

"USCIS has received approximately 5,900 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap, and approximately 4,500 petitions toward the 20,000 cap exemption for individuals with advanced degrees," the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said in a statement, a week after it started receiving applications for the visas for the fiscal year 2012 beginning October 1, 2011.

Till a few years ago the cap was reached within the first few days of USCIS starting to accept H-1B petitions. As a result, USCIS had to resort to computerized draw of lots to determine successful applicants. Because of stringent monitoring provisions and general economic recession, there has been a sharp drop in the number of Indian receiving H-1B visas in the last few years, official figures reveal.

For instance the Infosys which received as many as 4,559 H-1B visas in the fiscal 2008 and was on top of the list of companies receiving this coveted work visa for professionals; received just 440 H-1B visas in the fiscal 2009 (October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009), according to the latest figures released by the US immigration services. Similarly, Wipro, which in 2008 got 2,678 H-1B visas, received just 1,964 H-1B visas in 2009; but still topped the list in the fiscal 2009.

Interesting how the number of H-1B's fell in 2009 (new administration - "stringent monitoring provisions" - or bad economy - not in 2008?) and are apparently continuing to decline.

[MH1]

1. Time to reduce the cap or eliminate H1B altogether.

Another factor might be market saturation. In my field at least, it's time to force companies to hire from within and train, if that's what it takes. It's a perfectly trainable skill so there is no reason to be importing labor from overseas.

[Angry Dragon]

3. +1000

[fasttense]

2. Yeah, in a bad economy even the immigrant poor don't want to work here.