SAN JOSE, Calif. — H-1B visa applications have reached the program’s annual cap of 65,000 in just five days, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Friday, as corporate America’s demand for employing skilled foreign workers in the United States remains strong.
Applications opened Monday for the 2018 federal fiscal year.
U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in jobs requiring specialized knowledge, including science, engineering and computer programming.
Critics of the program say the use of foreign workers erases opportunities for U.S.-born workers to land well-paying jobs, including technology positions.
FWD.us, a group created primarily by technology leaders, noted the significance of how quickly the H-1B cap was reached.