High Demand for Skilled-Worker Visas Triggers Lottery

By Jeanna Smialek and Sarah Frier - Apr 5, 2013

Demand for temporary U.S. visas for high-skilled workers resulted in a cap being reached within five days after the filing period opened April 1 and will trigger a lottery for the permits, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said today.

The employer-sponsored visa allows 65,000 professionals with a college degree or equivalent experience to work in the U.S. for three years with extensions to six years and beyond.

It took 10 weeks to reach the quota last year and until Nov. 22 in 2011. An additional 20,000 slots are available for the first petitions for employees with a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. university, and the agency said that limit was also reached.

USCIS will stop accepting employers’ petitions, the agency said in a release in Washington today.

The agency will use a computer-generated random selection process for all filings received through April 5. That means companies will have to wait, possibly for months, to learn if employees have gained credentials.

MORE...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-05/high-demand-for-skilled-worker-visas-triggers-lottery.html