H1-Bs anyone

Amid protectionist measures in the US in the wake of the financial meltdown, the authorities here have received just 44,000 H-1B
petitions against the Congressionally-mandated cap of 65,000 in three weeks.

The demand for H-1B visas, which are popular among highly-skilled Indian professionals, has witnessed a slump in the first few weeks after the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) started accepting the applications.

Professionals from India, especially those from IT sector, have traditionally benefited the most from the H-1B scheme. In previous years, the cap has generally been filled within days of the opening of the application process.

But because of the certain provisions in the stimulus package which prevents American companies having received federal grant money from hiring overseas highly skilled workers, not many firms are willing to apply for the H-1B visa petitions this year.

"USCIS has received approximately 44,000 H-1B petitions counting toward the Congressionally-mandated 65,000 cap. The agency continues to accept petitions subject to the general cap," USCIS said in a statement on Monday.

Although it has received 20,000 petitions in the advanced degrees categories, the USCIS said it would continue to accept advanced degree petitions since experience has shown that not all petitions received are approvable.