USCIS today announced an updated number of filings for H-1B petitions for the fiscal year 2010 program. USCIS has received approximately 44,000 H-1B petitions counting toward the Congressionally-mandated 65,000 cap. It looks like less than 2000 cases were filed in the past two weeks, so it is very likely that the cap will not be met at least until the end of June.
Anti Immigration and H1B groups, blamed the economic crisis and job losses, on foreign workers coming to steal jobs from US workers. H-1B workers don’t “steal” jobs from U.S. workers. H-1B visas are issued to temporary, “nonimmigrant” workers in “specialty occupations.” As described by the Congressional Research Service, a “specialty occupation” is one “requiring theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge in a field of human endeavor including, but not limited to, architecture, engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences, medicine and health, education, law, accounting, business specialties, theology, and the arts, and requiring the attainment of a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent as a minimum.” H1B workers are a boost to any employer and not a threat. The current crisis is affecting H1B workers as well.
We will keep following the developments in the H1B saga.