USCIS announced today that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 for fiscal year (FY) 2013 – which begins October 1, 2012. Yesterday, June 11, 2012, was the final receipt date for new H-1B specialty occupation petitions requesting an employment start date in FY 2013 (October 1, 2012 – September 30, 2013).  Petitions received after June 11, 2012 will be returned.
USCIS also announced that the cap on the additional 20,000 H-1B’s set aside for students who have obtained a Master’s Degree from an accredited U.S. institution was reached on June 7, 2012.
Employers who are not subject to the Congressionally-mandated annual cap may continue to submit petitions for employees in qualifying specialty occupations.  Likewise, employers may submit petitions on behalf of employees who were counted under previous years’ caps.
If you would like to discuss employment options for yourself or your prospective foreign national employees, contact us today.
Read the full text of the USCIS announcement here:  USCIS Reaches Fiscal Year 2013 H-1B Cap