--- title: The H-1B Cap for 2013 description: In the last few years the H-1B cap has filled progressively earlier. While we can't predict the H-1B demand this year, we do expect the cap to fill quickly. --- [![Envoy Global company logo](https://info.envoyglobal.com/hs-fs/hubfs/eg_logo%20_2000.png?width=2000&height=218&name=eg_logo%20_2000.png "Envoy Global company logo")](https://www.envoyglobal.com/) # 2015 Old Blog # The H-1B Cap for 2013 Posted by [admin](https://info.envoyglobal.com/blog-old-test/author/admin) on Mar 21, 2013 11:26:20 AM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) by Caroline Tang, *VISANOW's Senior Manager of Legal Services* The USCIS will begin accepting new H-1B petitions to be counted against the annual H-1B quota (or "H-1B cap) for Fiscal Year 2014 on Monday, April 1, 2013, for employment with a start date of October 1, 2013, or later. Employers who are hiring foreign national employees who have not previously held H-1B status should be prepared to send out these H-1B petitions on Friday, March 29, 2013, so that USCIS receives these petitions on April 1. ## For employers Right now, employers should be identifying current and future employees who will need H-1B status to be legally employed. Typically, these individuals include employees currently working as F-1 students (with post-completion Optional Practical Training work authorization, or OPT), J-1 trainees, individuals seeking to change from another work authorized status (such as L-1, TN, or E-3), and individuals outside of the United States seeking to enter the country in October or later. Each fiscal year, the USCIS makes a total of 85,000 new H-1Bs available “ 20,000 reserved specifically for individuals with Master's or higher degrees from U.S. universities, and 65,000 under the "regular cap available to individuals with Bachelor's or higher degrees. ## Reaching the H-1B cap Over the last three years, the cap has been reached on progressively earlier dates: January 27, 2011 (for FY 2011), November 23, 2011 (for FY 2012), and June 11, 2012 (for FY 2013). While we cannot predict exact demand for H-1Bs for FY 2014, we anticipate that this year's cap may fill up immediately in April 2013. We strongly urge employers to open H-1B cases as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for case preparation, including the time required to file and receive Department of Labor certification for the Labor Condition Application (LCA) prior to submitting the entire H-1B petition to the USCIS. 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