For the first time in several years, thousands of H-1B visas, the once most sought after by Indian professionals in the US, still remains unused, even as the year comes to an end.

About 11,000 H-1B visa slot still remains available for qualified applicants for the fiscal 2010-2011, says the latest figures released by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

This is in the Congressional mandated-general category of 65,000 H-1B visas. Last year the cap was reached on December 21, 2009.

However the cap has almost reached in the H-1B Master's Exemption category. So far USCIS has received 19,700 applications in this category against the Congressional mandated cap of 20,000.