Thought this article written by Amy R. Dalal may be useful to fellow desis. You can read the full article at http://www.rcoutinho.com.
Every year beginning April 1st, law firms and companies around the country run to the nearest mailbox or post office to file their H-1B visa petitions with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The H-1B congressionally mandated quota allows for an April 1st filing date for an October 1st start date. Per fiscal year, Congress allows for 65,000 new H-1B petitions to be filed and approved. Of those 65,000, 7,000 are set aside for Singaporean and Chilean Foreign Nationals, thus leaving a mere 58,000 visas for the remaining countries. Over the past few years, we have seen this cap be exhausted in record time. This year, unfortunately, will prove no different as the demand for visas outweighs the number of visas available. Thus, we urge employers to take proactive action and plan in advance for this year’s cap and to join forces to urge Congress to take a critical step and increase the H-1B cap for the next fiscal year.