On October 25, 2009, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that 52,800 H-1B petitions have been received since April 1, 2009. After factoring in the H-1B numbers which are reserved solely for nationals of Chile and Singapore pursuant to trade agreements between these countries and the U.S., there are now only 5,400 H-1Bs available for FY2010, which began on October 1, 2009. A significant increase in the pace of H-1B filings was detected in September and this has shown no signs of slowing. While the rate of H-1B filings is still down considerably from previous years, the prospect of only 5,400 for the remainder of FY 2010 means cap subject employers who are considering H-1B filings will need to commit soon, or wait until October 1, 2010 for H-1B availability.
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