US immigration authorities have started accepting applications for H-1B work visas, the most sought-after among Indian IT professionals, for the fiscal year 2012.

"Cases will be considered accepted on the date USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Service) receives a properly filed petition for which the correct fee has been submitted; not the date that the petition is postmarked," the USCIS said.

The Congressional mandated cap for H-1B petitions for FY 2012, which begins on October 1, remains at 65,000. The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of individuals with US master's degrees or higher have been exempted from this cap.
USCIS said it will monitor the number of H-1B petitions received and will notify the public of the date when the numerical limit of the H-1B cap has been met.