U.S. Department of Justice
IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE

STATEMENT
12/17/99

INS Statement on FY 1999 H-1B Overage

On November 10, 1999, the Department of Justice’s Justice Management Division, with funding by the INS, amended an existing contract and authorized the consulting firm of KPMG to audit the H-1B program. The audit will complement preliminary agency efforts to determine the amount of the H-1B overage in FY 1999, identify the systems problems that led to the overage, and recommend corrective actions necessary to eliminate those problems in FY 2000 and the future. INS expects KPMG to deliver its preliminary findings early next year, with final recommendations due shortly thereafter, at which time INS will determine the next appropriate steps.

INS will continue to adjudicate FY 2000 H-1B petitions while the audit and other agency efforts to identify problems with the program are ongoing. Data on the H-1B program will not be released until INS is certain of its accuracy.

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