On June 12, 2012, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that as of June 11, 2012, a sufficient number of H-1B petitions had been received to fill the statutory cap of 65,000 for Fiscal Year 2013 (FY 2013). USCIS also announced that the cap of 20,000 additional H-1B visas available for individuals who hold US advanced degrees had also been reached. Any cap-subject H-1B petitions received by USCIS after June 11, 2012 seeking an employment start date in FY 2013 will be returned.

All individuals needing a cap-subject H-1B visa must wait now until April 1, 2013 to request H-1B status commencing October 1, 2013.