/johnny
That is a good point: I do no know. Anybody reading this, please supply the H1B visas for this year if you know the number.
The best source for academic research on H1B’s is CIS.org (Center for Immigration Studies).
The annual H1B quota numbers are deliberately deceptive. Almost all H1B’s are automatically renewed for 6 years.
In addition, there are NO quotas for H1B’s who work for universities, non-profit laboratories, or government agencies, and their visas can be renewed for up to 10 years.
Foreign STEM graduates (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) from USA universities have multiple options for evading the H1B quotas.
For instance, about 80% of STEM Ph.D's from China, India, Russia, Iran, and Eastern Europe are still living in the USA 6 years after graduation. Essentially all of them are using some kind of completely legal strategy to obtain a Green Card. Unfortunately, almost all these individuals are completely “average” Ph.D's who graduate from second tier USA universities. Almost all of them will accept any job at any pay level.
Elite foreign STEM Ph.D's from elite USA universities almost all come from Western Europe, Japan, the oil rich Middle East, and Canada-Aus-NZ. Less than 20% of them remain in the USA after graduation. Why? In part because the pay scale and standard of living in their home country is equal to or better than the USA. Most importantly, many of them do not seek a Green Card because they would be forced to compete for many years against the badly paid and badly treated Ph.D's from Third World countries.
Foreign STEM graduates with just a Bachelor's degree also have non-H1B options to remain in the USA for up to 3 years.
They can do that by using special types of “Student” visas and “Internship” visas. Obviously, these foreign “students” compete directly against home grown Americans who are recent graduates.
Because of these insane STEM visa policies that encourage American employers to hire foreign workers, I would strongly advise “average” Americans not to major in a STEM subject.
If you are a young American with elite STEM skills, by all means, go for it, you will be rewarded with excellent pay and excellent job offers.
If you are “average,” you will be competing against every “average” STEM graduate in the world.
As a side insult, I work in IT and ALL the H1B’s and Indian green carders that I know personally voted for Obastard, twice.