The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported today that on April 1, 2010, applications for H-1B visas for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 will be accepted.  The USCIS will consider a case as accepted only when the USCIS’ mail room takes possession of a properly filed petition with the correct filing fee.

The numerical limitation on H-1B petitions for FY 2011 remains at 65,000.  Additionally, the first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of individuals who have earned a U.S. master’s degree or higher are exempt from the H-1B cap and are part of a separate H-1B Master’s cap.

We at Pappas & Associates, P.A. call on businesses that wish to sponsor eligible individuals for these visas to begin the application process in the hopes of bringing some of the best and brightest foreign talent in areas such as math, science, technology, and engineering to the U.S.