The number of petitions for H-1B visas rose 35% this year, exceeding the annual cap on available visas within the first week petitions were accepted, according to numbers released Monday by US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Nearly 233,000 petitions were filed for H-1B visas in the first week they were available, according to the USCIS. That is up from 172,500 last year and 124,000 the year before.

Employers use H-1B visas to bring in highly skilled foreign temporary workers such as IT specialists. Although demand is up, the US caps number of available H-1B visas at 65,000 per year plus another 20,000 for workers with advanced degrees. Because the cap was reached within the first week this year, the USCIS stopped accepting petitions and used a lottery to determine who would receive an H-1B.

USCIS has used the lottery in past years as well when the cap was exceeded within a week.