USCIS UPDATES H-1B VISA COUNT ON 5/11/2012: AT 36,700

USCIS just published an H-1B visa cap count update. As of May 11, 2012, they have received approximately 36,700 H-1B petitions subject to the regular cap plus an additional 14,800 petitions subject to the master's degree quota. Filings are increasing in pace from week to week, with over 4,000 visa petitions that are receipted per week. The visa usage has passed the halfway mark and filings are expected to increase on a weekly basis until the cap is exhausted. I expect the H-1B visas will be completely gone by early June 2012. And then no more visas until October 2013. This is pretty bad and Congress need to get its act together and increase the quota (nothing will happen in the current sad state of affairs in Washington D.C. but maybe something will happen after the election). People should hurry up and file now if they need to get a visa this year.