The US recession is hitting the once sought after H1-B visas. The usual 65000 H1-B visa caps got filled in less than week in previous years. In year 2009 USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) reports only receival of 49000 H1-B visa applications.

Here are some reasons for the vacant 20,000 H1-B visas -

> Strict H1-B processing made USCIS reject many of H1-B visa applications
> Falling unemployment rate in US posed problems for US employers to file H1-B visas. Also non-immigrants waiting for the recession to be over to apply for H1-B visas.
> Feds cracking down on 11 people in six state for H1-B abuses. An in depth review of abuse is here at arstechnica.