H-1B applications surge to 172,500, twice the cap

[OhioChick]

After some slow years during and following the 2008 recession, demand grows among outsourcers and others seeking foreign workers

April 10, 2014 04:10 PM ET

he U.S. received twice as many H-1B visa petitions as it can give out under its 85,000 visa cap, and is thus distributing the visas via lottery.

In total, the U.S. received about 172,500 applications for H-1B visas -- that carry a 65,000 base cap and another cap of 20,000 for those who earned a master's degree or higher in the U.S., the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service said today.

The visas picked in the lottery can be used in the 2015 federal fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

The U.S. began accepting H-1B visas for the upcoming fiscal year on April 1, and consequently received one of the largest number of petitions in recent years.

More: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9247582/H_1B_applications_surge_to_172_500_twice_the_cap

[Timez Squarez]

1. The U.S. Department of Labor needs to stop handing out H1B's like candies

We have plenty of unemployed Americans who are actually looking for work, and it's not helping that these recruiters are preferring to use the H1B's for technology jobs (because it pays cheaply).

[antigop]

2. the STEM shortage is a myth. nt