The employer needs to apply for the status on your behalf, so it's kind of like: Hey US government, I need this guy who has the skills I want to come to the US and work for me, could you please grant them a #H1B?
The catch is, every year, US sets a quota of new 65000 H1B statuses to be given. And since they really want more people with advanced degree, there's another 20000 statuses reserved for folks with Master degree and above. (2/12)