10/24/2003 IMMIGRATION ALERT
H-1 FACT SHEET RELEASED: 78,000 NEW H-1Bs IN FY2003

On October 22, 2003, the USCIS released the FY2003 Fact Sheet. A copy of the sheet is attached. A few highlights warrant mentioning:

The FY2003 H-1B cap of 195,000 was not reached. There were 78,000 cap-subject H-1Bs approved in FY2003.

There were 79,000 cap-subject H-1Bs approved in 2002.

The USCIS and its predecessors BCIS and Legacy INS approved total 217,340 H-1B petitions in FY2003, which includes cap-subject H-1Bs, exempt H-1B petitions (e.g. for non-profit organizations) and extension H-Bs.