Table 1. H-1B Petitions Filed and Approved by Type of Petition: Fiscal Years 2000 to 2009

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008** 2009 ALL H-1B EMPLOYMENT                     Filed 299,046 342,035 215,190 231,030 312,200 266,474 295,915 304,877 288,764 246,647 Approved* 257,640 331,206 197,537 217,340 287,418 267,131 270,981 281,444 276,252 214,271 INITIAL EMPLOYMENT                     Filed 164,814 201,543 109,576 108,526 163,549 117,536 121,724 114,222 122,634 105,775 Approved* 136,787 201,079 103,584 105,314 130,497 116,927 109,614 120,031 109,335 86,300 Foreign worker outside the US 75,785 115,759 36,494 41,895 60,271 54,635 57,264 60,785 55,893 33,283 Foreign worker in the US 61,002 85,320 67,090 63,419 70,226 62,292 52,350 59,246 53,442 53,017 CONTINUING EMPLOYMENT                     Filed 134,232 140,492 105,614 122,504 148,651 148,938 174,191 190,655 166,130 140,872 Approved* 120,853 130,127 93,953 112,026 156,921 150,204 161,367 161,413 166,917 127,971 Notes: *Regardless of when filed; ** Excludes about 63,000 petitions submitted but not selected in the computer-generated random lottery in April 2008.