H1b crisis

The H-1B crisis refers to a concern by some parties during the early 2000s that not enough H-1B visas were available to meet the number of requested applications. This crisis occurred most recently in 2008 when the US 2009 fiscal year H-1B visa quota was reached one week into the application process. The previous year had similar results. On April 3, 2007, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it received more applications on April 2 than the 65,000 cap. April 2 was the first day on which an employer could request a first-time visa for an H-1B worker for the period that becomes effective on October 1, 2007. Similar situations have occurred in previous years. Agency rules state that if the limit is reached on the first day of filing, all applications received on the first two days are put into a lottery to determine who gets the relatively few visas that are available.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) first reported this crisis. It was then confirmed by USCIS. The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek and Washington Post also reported this situation. CNN reported that Congress will hold a special session addressing the H1B crisis.
Parties in interest
The most immediate parties in interest are tens of thousands of skilled workers from countries around the world, who cannot accurately forecast their place of work or residence due to the mismatch in the current visa cap versus visa applications. United States employers are also a chief party in interest, evincing their concerns by applying pressures Congress according to the Wall Street Journal. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates testified in 2007 on behalf of the expanded visa program on Capitol Hill, "warning of dangers to the if employers can't import skilled workers to fill job gaps". The bill was still being considered by the House Committee of the Judiciary. No revision to the program, however, was passed.
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