Employment-Based Immigrant Visa Exhausted for FY2011

The State Department's Immigrant Visa Control section has notified the USCIS that all employment based immigrant visas have been used up for fiscal year 2011, as reported by AILA.  No visa numbers
would be authorized effective 09/15/2011 until the end of September (the end of the fiscal year).  Immigrant visa numbers will become available again on October 3, 2011 as FY2012 begins.  USCIS adjudication officers may continue to submit requests for visa numbers as usual.  These requests will be put on hold until October 3, 2011 by the State Department.  Strong demand for employment visas and processing from August is the reason for the exhaustion, according to the State Department.