Office of Communications

April 23, 2007

USCIS Update

USCIS UPDATES COUNT OF FY 2008 U.S.-EARNED MASTERS

DEGREE H-1B CAP FILINGS

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today an updated number of filings for H-1B petitions filed on behalf of aliens with U.S.-earned Mastersor higher degrees.

As of April 18, 2007, USCIS had received approximately 18,000 H-1B petitions for aliens with advanced degrees. Congress mandated that the first 20,000 of these types of petitions are exempt from any fiscal year cap on available H-1B visas.

USCIS will provide regular updates as the processing of FY 2008 H-1B cap-exempt cases continues.

H-1B in General: U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers inspecialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in fields, such as scientists,engineers or computer programmers. As part of the H-1B program, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) require U.S. employers to meet specific labor conditions to ensure that American workers are not adversely impacted, while DOL’s Wage and Hour Division safeguards the treatment and compensation of H-1B workers.

– USCIS –

Please click here to read the letter describing the guidelines.

To read the press release regarding the new USCIS filing fees, click here.

To see the new fee schedule, click here.