H1B Cap : Latest Update

First Count : April 9, 2009 - 42,000 and 20,000
The USCIS issued the first cap count on April 9, 2009. As of that count, approximately 42,000 H1B petitions had been received under the “regular” cap. While the 20,000 advanced degree limit had been reached, USCIS indicated that some more advanced-degree cases would continue to be accepted, to allow for normal rates of denials and withdrawals.

Second Count : April 13, 2009 - 43,000 and 20,000
The next count was issued April 20th, for cases filed through April 13, 2009. As of that date, the USCIS had received 43,000 regular cap cases. Additionally, advanced-degree cases were still being accepted due to the expectation that it is normally necessary to accept some percentage more than 20,000 cases to end up with 20,000 H1B petitions with approvals.

Third Count : April 20, 2009 - 44,000 and 20,000
The count for April 20, 2009 reflected an additional 1,000 regular cap filings in the week following the previous count. The advanced-degree cap filings must have been very light, as the USCIS had still not reached the limit for those cases.

Fourth Count : April 27, 2009 - 45,000 and 20,000
The fourth count was issued April 27, 2009. As of that date, approximately 45,000 regular cap cases had been received by the USCIS. Advanced-degree cases were still being accepted.

Conclusion
Regarding the H1B cap, FY2010 was very different from the couple of years immediately preceding. This is driven primarily by the economy. It appears to be a clear indication that the request for H1B workers is largely self governing, and that, when the job market is depressed, the H1B filing levels drop accordingly. Critics of the H1B program, who claim that the H1B numbers should not be increased, are incorrect in their assessment, as the supply-and-demand cycle seems to be working again with H1B filings greatly reduced due to the decrease in demand, even for highly skilled workers.