US Citizenship and Immigrant Services (USCIS) will consider no more H1B visa applications for 2008 from foreigners with master’s degrees or higher earned in America.

Such is the demand to work in the USA that the border authority has already received 20,000 H1B applications from so-called ‘aliens’ that have achieved higher qualifications at American institutions.

Applicants may have separate exemptions, but the ceiling for highly-qualified foreign workers set by Congress has now been reached.

Since the applications limit has now been exceeded, aliens hoping to work in the USA will have to wait until April next year to be in with a chance of obtaining an H1B visa for employment in the 2009 financial year.

Those applying for a role in the non-profit sector, or seeking a research position at an American school or college, will be able to apply for a visa to work in the USA regardless of the applications cap.

USCIS has also confirmed that it will continue to consider any applications to extend current H1B visas and that present workers will still be able to change the terms of their employment, change employer, or take up a second H1B role.

Technocrats are currently lobbying Congress in an attempt to significantly bolster the number of positions offered to foreign applicants next year. If influential figures in the technology industry get their way, the ceiling could rise to 180,000 per annum by 2009.

Contributed by J.Bevan