Employers who plan to file for new H-1B employment visas in FY2014 should be prepared to file by April 1, 2013. While H-1B usage has been lower over the last several years, increased demand caused the FY2013 cap to be reached on June 11, 2012, less than two months after USCIS began accepting petitions. H-1B visas generally are limited to 65,000 per fiscal year (85,000 when U.S. Master’s Degree holder visas are included). The immigration fiscal year begins on October 1, and petitions are accepted for the upcoming fiscal year beginning April 1. Therefore, employers should consider filing for needed FY2014 H-1Bs on the first day that petitions are accepted, and hiring should be planned in anticipation of a lack of H-1B availability.