<p>@ barium : Agreed but the H-1B visa cap does not apply to people working in educational institutions or physicians. I’m positive about this. </p>
<p>Quoted from [The</a> Doctor Job - Getting an H-1B visa and H-1B sponsorship as an FMG physician.](<a href=“thedoctorjob.com”>http://www.thedoctorjob.com/careercorner/view_article.php?id_article=28)</p>
<p>The H1B visa cap only applies to for-profit organizations. Therefore, the cap does not affect residency or fellowship programs. The great majority of U.S. hospitals are also exempt from the H1B visa cap (since they are non-profit and affiliated with US medical schools/universities), which means that many FMG physicians who need sponsorship are able to find opportunities without being subject to the H-1B cap.</p>
<p>Extension, renewal or transferring of an existing H1B visa does not count towards the cap.</p>
<p>Therefore, the only time that H1B physicians who entered the U.S. as H1B residents or fellows will fall subject to the cap is while transferring from their training program (an exempt employer) to a non-exempt employer.</p>
<p>Each new allotment of 65,000 visas begins at the start of each new fiscal year, which begins October 1 st. Employers may begin filing for H1B visas six months before the actual start date of the visa. This means that since the beginning of the fiscal year is October 1 st, employers can begin applying as early as April 1 st in order to have the best chance for approval for that year. Timing is key, as the cap numbers are likely to run out quickly. Therefore, you should begin your job search as early as possible in the final year of your residency/fellowship program in order to have the best odds of finding a sponsoring employer prior to April 1 st.</p>
<p>(Me : FMG stands for foreign medical graduate, which you will be if you graduate from a Carribean medical school. However, even if you graduate from a US med school, the rest still applies, although your chances go up)</p>