H-1B Visas--the cap on the number of visas issued each fiscal year

There are only 85,000 “new” H-1B visas available per year pursuant to the USCIS. The government and consulars accept applications on April 1 (or the first business day after April 1) for work to begin on October 1. Not all cases are subject to the cap. The cap does not apply if you are getting an extension of an H-1B you already possess, or a renewal. Also, "if you are being sponsored by an institute of higher education or a non-profit research institute affiliated with an institute of higher education the cap does not apply." There is also another exemption and that is if you have had H-1B status in the past six years. If so, you are exempt from the cap if you have not left the US for more than a year since that time