H1B NUMBERS UPDATE: 53,900 of 65,000 NUMBERS USED
USCIS announced as of 12/17/10 it received approximately 53,900 H-1B cap-subject petitions and 19,700 H-1B petitions for aliens with advanced degrees. To qualify for an H1B visa a foreign worker must possess at least a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree or higher in a specialty occupation required by the employer. Tech giants such as Google, Yahoo, and Oracle have typically dominated the H1B market to bring in software programmers and other high tech workers. However, many other industries have also utilized the H1B program to widen the pool of qualified applicants such as in the fields of education, science, engineering, and business. Recent years have seen a sharp decline in the use of the H1B visa program as a means to bring highly skilled foreign workers to the US in large part because of the downturn in the economy. This coupled with increased program fees and the requirement an employer pay the foreign worker100% of the prevailing wage have led to a drop in H1B usage.
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