According to the World Journal, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would stop accepting applications for the 2009 annual H-1B visa at 5 PM on that day. Since the application period began on April 1 of this year, the agency has received more applications than the cap allows for five consecutive business days. Immigration authorities will tally the number of applications this week and announce the lottery date based on the situation.
USCIS spokesperson Chris Lottigen stated that the number of applications far exceeds the 65,000 visas available for the lottery, and the agency will announce specific details as soon as possible.
This year's H-1B visa applications are more fervent than in previous years, making the quota even tighter. It is estimated that on the first day of application acceptance, April 1, the immigration agency received over 100,000 applications. Reports indicate that by April 2, the number of applications sent to the USCIS had approached 200,000.
According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the applications received by various service centers of the USCIS have piled up, with estimates suggesting that the number of applications received at that time was between 250,000 and 400,000, which is two to three times the total number of applications received last year. The immigration lawyers association estimates that the USCIS will begin sending receipt notices to applicants starting April 20.
USCIS has not commented on external speculation; however, the agency noted that if applicants for the H-1B visa choose the wrong address between the service centers on the East and West Coasts, the USCIS will not reject their applications for that reason.
According to regulations, the California and Vermont service centers handle H-1B visa applications from different regions across the country. The California service center also exclusively processes H-1B applications that are not subject to the 65,000 cap.
However, some applicants have chosen the wrong submission address between the California and Vermont service centers. The USCIS stated that their chances of participating in the lottery would not be affected. However, if H-1B applications are submitted to the Texas and Nebraska service centers, the applicants will lose their eligibility for the lottery.
