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USCIS announced on 30 October 2009 that approximately 53,800 H-1B cap-subject petitions had been filed. USCIS has also approved sufficient H-1B petitions for applicants with advanced degrees for the 20,000 visas that are exempt from the general cap. This means that new applications for aliens with advanced degrees will count towards the general H-1B cap of 65,000.
USCIS will continue to accept petitions until such time that all available visas have been taken up. This takes into account that some petitions may be denied, revoked or withdrawn. The US H-1B visa for specialty occupations and fashion models is a very useful visa category for professional level employees. For example, in the past many Indian IT workers have been able to work in the US on the H-1B visa.
Normally the US H-1B visa quota is fully used as soon as the quota becomes available. It is only because of the economic downturn in the US and Worldwide that visas are still available. There are currently only about 10,000 visas left. It is quite likely that by the end of the year there will be no H-1B visas left.
