Want an H1-B visa? If you applied by Friday, October 1 of this year, you might have a shot. If you didn’t, well, best of luck next year.

Congress set a cap of 65,000 such visas per fiscal year. By the end the work day Friday, Citizenship and Immigration Services already had received enough applications to meet the limit.

Agency spokesman William Strassberger said applications filed by Friday will be considered. For any after that, “It’s too late,” he said.

In this age of Outsourcing, Congress is predictably wary about raising that figure even though “those that use the program say they can’t find enough Americans with the necessary math, science and engineering skills.”

The “65,000” figure is a bit misleading, since 6,800 visas are already reserved for workers from Chile and Singapore, thanks to free trade agreements the U.S. has with those nations.

A few Republicans in Congress are trying to introduce legislation that could be construed as favourable to South Asians:

Employers hope to get relief from a proposal being pushed by Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., and Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas. They are proposing that foreign students graduating from master’s or doctoral programs at U.S. universities not be counted against the H1-B limit. Such students often are recruited by U.S. businesses and could end up working for global competitors when H1-B visas are unavailable.

It is unclear whether Congress will consider the proposal before adjourning.