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Demand for a US visa has been so high that the limit has been reached in less than half the usual time.
13 June 2012
US visa limit reached
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have confirmed that the 65,000 limit for the H-1B category of US visa has been reached.
In a statement released today, USCIS said US visa applications in H-1B category, which allows foreign workers to live and work temporarily in the US, would no longer be accepted unless they fall under the 'advanced degree' category, which is exempt from the cap.
"USCIS announced on June 13 that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 for fiscal year (FY) 2013," read the statement.
"June 11 was the final receipt date for new H-1B specialty occupation petitions requesting an employment start date in FY 2013."
It was reported last month that record levels of applications were already being received and it was predicted then that the cap, which in the past few years has not been reached until around November or even rolls over until the following year, could be reached this month.
The majority of applications reportedly came from Indian applicants despite a perceived discrimination in rejection rates for Indian applicants resulting in the country registering a formal complaint to the World Trade Organisation last month.
The American Visa Bureau is an independent migration consultancy specialising in helping people from Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries make their ESTA application.
