USCIS started accepting H-1B applications for fiscal year 2012 on April 1, 2011. H-1Bs filed pursuant to the 2012 fiscal year cap will become effective on October 1, 2011. As of April 15, 2011, USCIS had received 7,100 H-1B applications under the regular 65,000 H-1B cap and 5,100 applications in the master’s exemption pool of 20,000 cap numbers.

It is impossible to predict, exactly, how quickly the H-1B cap numbers will be exhausted so all employers are encouraged to start work on H-1B cap cases in the near future.