Federal immigration authorities received about 163,000 petitions for temporary work visas for highly skilled immigrants for the year starting Oct. 1, officials said Thursday, nearly twice as many as the number of visas available. The government each year offers 65,000 visas, known as H-1Bs, for highly educated foreign workers, and 20,000 visas for immigrants with a master?s degree or doctorate from an American college or university. Citizenship and Immigration Services closed the application period Tuesday after it had been open for the five-day minimum. Although petitions for the 2009 fiscal year increased by about 23 percent over 2008, immigration officials said they had expected an even higher number.
See "Many Visas Are Sought for Skilled Immigrants", Julia Preston, The New York Times, April 10, 2008