Demand for H-1B visas slowed this year. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Wednesday it's still accepting H-1B visa petitions with the caps on visas not yet met. The cap is set at 65,000 for applicants with a bachelor's degree or higher with another 20,000 visas available for applicants with a master's degree or higher from a U.S. school. The USCIS began accepting petitions April 1. The New York Times reported that last year the agency received 163,000 petitions within the first five-day petition period.

Some have speculated that the recession and layoffs could result in lower demand for H-1B visas. In addition, this year the Employ American Workers Act requires that any employers that received Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds go through extra procedures when hiring H-1B workers — the same rules presently faced by companies designated "H-1B dependent employers."