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H1B Visa 2016 – FAQs – Lottery, Quota, Immigration Reform, News

Updated : November 25th, 2015

H1B Visa 2016 Filing Season Complete, Cap reached on April 7th, 2015.

Planning for next H1B season, Check out H1B Visa 2017 FAQs

As many of you know, H1B Visa 2015 quota was over in the first week and a whopping 172,500 H1B petitions were received in first week by USCIS.  H1B Lottery / random selection was held by USCIS to select 85,000 H1B petitions to fulfil the work permit cap. Many of the unlucky ones are already wondering about next year H1B Visa quota. Also, some of you are planning for H1B visa for next year, you also would be wondering regarding the same. This article addresses many of the common questions, it will be updated constantly, whenever any changes to info.  Bookmark this page !  To start with, firstly the news updates on this season, followed by many commonly asked questions.

Official & Unofficial USCIS News Updates Regarding H1B 2016 Season 

When will the H1B season for fiscal 2016 begin ?

USCIS will accept petitions for H1B Visa 2016 season starting from April 1st, 2015.  USCIS did a press release on March 12th outlining the details. Read summary of press release by USCIS on H1B 2016 .

Will there be lottery again for H1B Visa 2016 ? Predictions ?

We had lottery for FY 2015 and FY 2014. The total number of petitions filed for FY 14 were about 125,000 and for  FY 2015, there were about 172,500 petitions… As H1B Quota did not increase for FY 2016, and the demand does not seem to decrease, we would very likely have lottery for FY 2016.  Read H1B Visa 2016 Lottery Predictions, Dates, Results

What is the H1B Visa quota Cap Count ? Would there be any changes to H1B 2016 count ?

H1B Visa quota cap count is the total number of petitions that USCIS will accept for a fiscal year to provide temporary work permit for highly skilled workers.  For the 2016 fiscal year, the cap count is as below :

  • Regular H1B Quota : 65,000
  • H1B Masters Degree Quota ( only US Degrees) : 20,000
  • Out of the above, a total of 6,800 is usually set aside for Singapore and Chile citizens as part of the free trade agreement between them.

As per the press release in March 2015, the quota did not increase.  To give some background, as per the Obama executive action in Nov 2014, no changes were announced to the H1B Cap count. There was proposal in 2013 to increase H1B cap from 65,000 to 110,000 and Masters quota to increase from 20,000 to 25,000 did not go through as of March 2015. At least, for this FY 2016 season, the quota is fixed and it will be as above and no changes.

When should I start planning for H1B Visa 2016 ? What are the steps ?

It depends on your situation. Below are few scenarios and your plan.

  • If you are a student on F1 Visa in USA, you need to plan for your internship/ CPT or OPT employment  at a company that can sponsor your H1B Visa for FY 2016. In my view, you should start now to find something for the fall 2014 and continue that for next spring so that you can file for FY 2016
  • If you are in other country and planning for H1B, it is good to start your process around the end of this year 2014. It will give you enough time to find sponsors, search for job, etc.
  • If you are on H4, L1 or other visa in USA and planning for H1B for FY 2016, you also should consider looking around end of this year i.e. December 2014.

We have published step by step plan, you can read the article How to plan for H1B Visa 2016 ?Step by Step Guide 

Most asked Question – How do I Find H1B Sponsors for FY 2016 ?

This is a million dollar question !  One of the biggest challenges is to find a good sponsor that can offer you a job and wait for you to start work after 6 months of filing your petition.  You should review the detail article on How to find H1B Sponsors for FY 2015. Your first place of start is to find the H1B Sponsors in an area or by company. Use our H1B Visa Sponsors Database to search and filter. Read this article on details on how to search in our H1B Sponsor database. We keep the database updated as DOL publishes data. Do NOT share your email or phone number on our website as comments, there are many people do H1B Sponsorship fraud by requesting money using your contact info. RedBus2US.com never provides personal guidance on H1B sponsors or seeks money from anyone, we only display publicly available data on our H1B Sponsors Database page. We DO NOT sponsor H1Bs or guide anyone. Beware of H1B sponsorship Fraud ! 

What about Comprehensive Immigration Reform ( CIR) – H1B Visa Changes ? What are they ?

There have been some proposed changes to the H1B Visa program to cater to the demand in the  US economy as part of the Comprehensive Immigration reform. Below are some of the proposed changes.

  • H1B Cap to be increased from 65,000 to 110,000 per year.  Also have provisions to have it up to 180,000 in case of extreme demand.
  • Advanced degree from US cap quota to increase from 20,000 to 25,000
  • The Filing fee for H1B could go up to 10,000 USD
  • Additional H1B rules to avoid H1B Visa fraud by employers
  • Mandatory LCA posting for 30 days before it is certified.

These were proposed in 2013, but nothing has moved significantly and all the above are just proposed rules. We are not sure when they will be implemented. You can read  Summary of CIR – Immigration reform – H1B Visa and Green Card  to get an idea. The latest update is that Obama has taken executive action on Immigration in Nov  2014  and none of the below are included as part of that.  Stay tuned for updates.

H1B Visa 2016 Fees – Any changes ? How much does it cost ?

There are various components of the fee. The H1B Application filing fee could range anywhere from $1,600 USD to $4,400 depending on the size of the company. The attorney fee can range from $500 to $3000 depending on the attorney. If you apply for premium processing that is another $1,225. The fees has not changed in the past couple of years for FY 2014 and FY 2015. Unless USCIS revises fee based on immigration reform, it should be same. We will keep you all posted. For complete details of the fee by components and break up, read the article H1B Visa  Fees and Who Pays for What ?

H4 Visa EAD rule impact on H1B Visa 2016 Season ?

As you know, certain H4 visa holders are now eligible for EAD. The H4 Visa EAD Rule Passed earlier in 2015 and is effective from May 26, 2015.  USCIS will start accepting applications for EAD from those eligible H4 visa holders starting from May 26th. The question is that will that have an impact on number of H1B petitions for this fiscal year  ?  It very likely will have certain impact on the number of H1B applications that are filed for this year 2016 quota. Many of the H4 holders, who would now be eligible for EAD, may not apply for H1B visa, just because it gives them more flexibility to work and more choices to work as well. We would have to wait and see, how much of an impact that would have, but it is very straightforward and no brainer for eligible H4 visa holder to avoid the H1B processing.

H1B visa Premium Processing Changes to H1B Visa 2016 quota ? 

USCIS updated in their press release that the premium processing will be accepted for FY 2016 quota and they will only begin that “no later than May 11, 2015”. What it means for the petitioners is that the official 15 day premium processing clock starts from May 11th, 2015 and their petition could be adjudicated within 15 days from May 11th, which would be May 26th, 2015.  USCIS can process them earlier as well, but their new timeline is just indication for setting the right expectations to meet the stipulated time frame for premium processing.

Track H1B Visa 2016 Cap Count updates ?

As in previous years, we have created a page, where would track the cap count updates for FY 2016. You may check out  H1B visa 2016 Cap Count Tracker.

While you wait, you can check out April 1st – USCIS H1B Visa 2016 Season Starts Today, When to expect Lottery ?

H1B Lottery Completed – Official Tweet and Press Release 

H1B Cap Reached – Official USCIS Tweet and Link to Press release :


Any other questions ?

   

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28,610 Comments

  1. Is there anything for people like me to worry about since my case did not change from ‘Case Received’ till today. I mean, anyone know cases where it got rejected straight away without any RFE…like invalid cheque (I guess cheques would have got encashed long back).

    Till Aug end I was fine but little tense since Sep as I see I am in the 3 – 5 % lot whose status did not change from ‘Case Received’ since April 2015.

    Reply
  2. hi guys,
    i filled my ds160 and mentioned intended traveling date as 16th of Oct, i will be paying my visa fee on Monday, does any one know when is the earliest available slot in Hyderabad consulate??? can you please provide me the URL where i can check the slots availability?? thanks, v

    Reply
  3. Rfe was about employer relationship and I have submitted clinet letter, sow and intinerary details alongwith other documents. Most of the people in my account got rfe for same reason but mine gott declined….while most of others recieved approval notice. What is the procedure to reopen declined casese anya info will be helpful. I still have to check with my manager on what ground my case was denied.
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Your employer/attorney should receive the rejection mail which should have details of denial reason. Your employer and attorney have to work on it. You have 2 option to reopen
      1. Reopen
      2. Reconsider
      Please visit goo.gl/I7qoSz for more details

      Reply
      • How much is the processing time to get the decision on the reopened case. Also, is there any fee that needs to be paid to reopen a denied case ?

        Reply
    • Hi , H1b_rejected after rfe. I noticed on this forum,if you don’t hv good relationship with your indian manager, your h1b rejected.you need to do buttering in some way.Force your employer to re open your case and short out your issues with manager.suck indian managers….

      Reply
    • Firstly sorry to hear the bad news..
      USCIS do background verification as per URL
      https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard/CaseStatus/BucketDescriptions.do
      They might denied your VISA about the documentation or bad CIBIL report as nowadays they are referring
      Hope by god grace your issues sorted and approve the case

      Reply
  4. my petition seems to be approved on june 18th but still i797 hardcopy not received…. any guess will that take this much time. is it something still i need to worry about it

    Reply
  5. what is the difference between WAC15138.. series and WAC15148 as I am in WAC15138 series not sure why there is no case status change since april 13..Can anyone tell me?

    Reply
  6. Hi,

    I got selected in lottery and received RFE . RFE response sent on 13th August. My application got rejected on 8th september. Is there any process to reopen it or something?

    Thanks

    Reply
    • what is the difference between WAC15138.. series and WAC15148 as I am in WAC15138 series not sure why there is no case status change since april 13..Can anyone tell me?

      Reply
    • You dude, you posted question and asked for some query and ppl responded positively. and other friends asked you about your rfe since they want to know the reason and do not want to take care of their peitions. And it’s minimum courtesy to respond and tell about your rfe..when you need help you will be behind other but when others need you will say foooook…..isn’t this behaviour caused to your h1b rejection…ppl here are eagerly waiting for your response….respond……you idiot

      Reply
  7. Hi Guys,
    Could you please let me know if i need to get any supporting docs from my employer to apply H4 visa to my spouse? or can i just fill DS160 form and can go for interview with my spouse straight away! thanks….. i got approved petition and planning to go for interview in couple of weeks.
    V

    Reply
  8. My Case was in RFE and they need Client letter from my client. Is this mandatory to provide client letter on letter head? Please help me in this… Waiting from long time…….

    Thanks in advance..

    Reply
  9. Seems like speed of approval process got slowed down.Less no of peoples posted about Approval in last couple of days. I am waiting since april. No RFE. Tired of getting case received.

    Reply
  10. I sent my response to USCIS california center today. How much time it takes to reflect the status in USCIS website? How much time it may take to get approved? WAC1514650*** series

    Reply
    • There is no time limit to get the response, we responded on july and I know people submitted their doc’c on june 2nd week still waiting for the approval. We don’t have any other go other than waiting , else we need to convert to pp.

      Reply
  11. For all the people who got RFE (including me):

    Looking at the data it seems like after responding to RFE also it takes at-least 2 months to get approval. Do you guys think this is right time to upgrade case to premium?

    Reply
    • Nope .There is no time limit to approve all the cases to be approved before 1st Oct. If u need quick decision convert the case to PP

      Reply
  12. Hi,

    My employer responded my RFE on Aug 23. But there is no update on my case till now. It shows that the message saying they need additional info to process the case.

    To what, does the status change to after responding to RFE?
    Mine is RP/AD/CA.WAC15148****

    Thanks

    Reply
  13. Finally the wait is over!
    California Service Centre WAC15139******

    Got selected on April 27,
    Got RFE on July 09,
    RFE response sent on August 21 (RFE: Submit W2s & Pay Stubs: Mine was in house project petition) and
    Got approved on Sep 14

    Good luck to everyone! Be patience guys everything will be good.

    Reply
    • with in 7 or 10 working day I797 should be received to employer or attorney . Check with them once. if it cross one month time employer or attorney should intimate USCIS

      Reply
  14. Hi guys,

    there are no of guys who waiting REF response/approval.but one key note for my case. paralegal officer should mail employee and employer before REF response submitted to USCIS. so,you should know before 1 and 2 days ago.

    Reply
  15. Hi,

    Our lawyer said that The check was stamped it is written on his bank statement “CSC FIELD OFFICE PAYMENT 85214 *****************. Anyone knows what does it means? We have not received receipt number till today. Thats the only thing which shows us that we are selected in lottery or maybe not. Any help will be appreciated.

    Reply
  16. Hey folks, my status changed from “RFE response received” back to “Case Was Received” now with the new date: “On September 11, 2015, we received your Form I-129”. Has this happened to anyone?

    If interested, it is RP, WAC, the rfe response was received on July 28.

    My guess is, they started to work on my case and the clerk decided to update the case status or clicked a wrong button. The timing seems about right, last week lots of people who responded to RFE after July 20 got their approvals.

    Reply
      • It seems like that, check my message below. Yesterday I received a strange status update from USCIS (I subscribed to email notification): “Your Case Status: Acceptance”. According to this site, acceptance is the very first step in the processing flow chart, at this state they check if all the documents are present and all the fees are there, they should have done it already by now. Today my online case status was “Case received”. And just a few minutes ago my attorney notified me that they received the approval email.

        Reply
    • Case approved.
      Ok, it looks like my company/attorney upgraded my case to premium and did not tell me. Approved today, notified by email that stated that the case was filed under premium processing.

      Reply
        • I don’t know when they did it. But my case was updated on September 11 and I received email notification about this update on September 15, may be this is when it happened.

          I was actually surprised my company upgraded the case, my OPT is valid until January and my company’s policy is not to pay for PP unless it’s really urgent. May be they have some internal script to upgrade all the cases when it gets close to Oct 1.

          Reply
          • KS…I know you would be very happy as it is approved …congrats for that. One last question,…so even now you are not sure if yours has been upgraded to PP…its your assumption of the likelihood…is that correct ? I am asking this because, I am told by my employer that request for upgrade to PP has been mailed to USCIS on Sep 10th …. but no change yet….still ‘case received’

          • Thanks.

            As for likelihood, my attorney forwarded me an email from USCIS that had the following lines: “The California Service Center has approved the following I-129 Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker that had been filed under the Premium Processing Program”

            Unless there is some glitch in the system, it means that my case was upgraded. I know for sure that originally they filed the case as RP. Concerning the date when they upgraded, I don’t know, here is the history of activity:
            July 28 – RFE response received
            Sept 15 – My online status changed to acceptance and “we received your petition”. The actual date of change listed in the status was Sept 11, i.e. there was some lag before notification.

            Sept 16 – Approved

          • Thanks KS … I was little particular about the dates because many say that USCIS has an obligation to respond in 15 – 17 days…but I get a feeling that is not the obligation but the approx. time which USCIS take for PP to respond…based on historical data. Now my PP has been shipped to USCIS on Sep 10th….which means I should get a response by Sep 25th….means in another 1 week from here…but since I am used to see “Case Received” status from Apr 28th till today, I get a feeling how it can change in 1 week when it did not change for 5 months 🙂 …I know it takes a moment to change bu that the psychological feeling I am into now 🙂

  17. EAC/RP – Case Received

    Hey,
    While checking others case statuses, I observed all those whose last updated date is 27th April has status as ‘Case Received’
    Is that so?

    Reply
  18. Case approved finally!!
    RP/Non AD
    Approved on – July 19
    Received – Sep 16
    Num: EAC151465****

    Thank u God:-) Thank u Kumar/Redbus2us! This thread is the second one i check every day , first being my office mail for approval mail! 😀 All the best to those who are waiting for approvals! Dont worry u will get it super soon :-):-)

    Hope to share my stamping experience soon!

    Remember..all those who feel let down for not getting picked in lottery/awaiting status.. H1B is not the end of life..neither is it the beginning of any gr8 life! Nothing to lose absolutely!! Enjoy life..moments wasted, may never come back:-)

    Reply
  19. Third Attempt:History
    First Attempt – 2008-Premium application but not selected in lottery;
    Second Attempt – 2009-Selected but Indian Consultancy not replied to RFE;
    Third Attempt-2015-selected in Lottery Apr 13;
    RFE issued May 22;
    RFE received Jun 3;
    RFE responded Jul 22;
    RFE updated in USCIS website Jul 24;
    Waiting for approval…Series EAC 15141…..

    Reply
  20. My RFE response sent on july 9th , still waiting for approval .
    It seems CA center is very slow , last one week i didnt see anyones Approval message .
    Wiproites anyone got approval for RFE from CA center.

    Reply
  21. Guys I have completed my stamping process today. Heard the golden words that visa is approved ?. Can someone tell how much time it takes for US consulate to send stampped passport back. Do we get any SMS from them providing any status on stamping etc.

    Reply
    • Hey…..Congrats.

      Your VISA will be printed on same day or very next day. And they will send immediately. For my case i received my passport in 3 days. chennai to bangalore.

      Time may vary based on the location, you are collecting your passport due to courier delay to arrive at your location.

      Reply
      • But someone told me that they also send SMS to the candidate informing about the status of the stamping. What my company told was that another few days we will get mail from us is regarding status. Anyways let me know ur status once u receive ur passport. I will be logging in to this website hourly. Congrats by the way

        Reply
  22. Losing my mind 🙁
    Ppl are getting their approves after rfe & visa stamps…6 month of endless painful waiting & there is no end to this agony – still “Case Was Received”.
    I saw such info, that USCIS is not required to complete all the Regular cases by October 1st. Terrible(
    How to strengthen my nervous system?))))

    Reply
    • AK…..

      How much u try to keep track of it, u get pain. Just ignore and forget it. eventually u will hear good newz.

      Try to involve in other work and concentrate on it. dont check ur status for couple of weeks until your employer informs abt ur case status…………….hope u understand and can do it.

      Reply
    • m also sailing in smae boat. Early morning when I get up I check the status… Every day I check ppl comments on different forums.
      Visa stamping done, approval even the RFE are approved but my case is still showing recieved. No clue what to do …. I thought in Oct anyhow they H1B will get effective so they will process the application in these 6 months. But now m reading there is no TAT.
      God is really testing my patience.

      Reply
    • Hey chill dude! You will get it to soon! Nothing to lose! Your health is ur biggest asset! Dont lose it for some crazy H1B! Relax u will get it..all is well:) h1b or no h1b ..take care of urself foremost!:-):-)

      Reply
  23. Hi
    Reciept Date : May 5th 2015
    Approved Date :July 7th 2015
    Stamping Done : 15th Sept 2015

    Nominal Questions at the Interview
    1. Employer Name
    2. Employe streganth at USA
    3. Client Name
    4. What does Client Do

    After that Golden Words Visa approved

    Thanks a lot to all and this Forum and those who are waiting , i wish them all the best

    Reply
  24. Hello All,
    Finally its my turn to share interview experience…
    Sceduled interview on 16th sept-Hyd

    Me:Greetings exchanged
    VO: asked my passport
    Me: Passed on
    VO: How much is your salary
    Me: answered accordingly
    VO: Asked my Petitioners location
    Me: answered accordingly
    VO: What is your petitioner Business line
    Me: answered accordingly

    He never asked a single doc….

    Finally…Finally…Finally ……Heard the golden words…

    All the best guys…

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Hi ,
      Could you please share your contact number as id like to have a word with you regarding H1 int. “vasanthmandalasoa@gmail.com” .
      Thanks,
      V

      Reply
  25. finally my employer said my petition is approved but hardcopy yet to receive. . it seems that petition approved on june 18th. but yet to receive the hardcopy. how long it will take to receive hardcopy.

    Reply
  26. Hi All,

    Wait Wait Wait… to here such a good news that my petition got denied.

    RFE submitted on – july 21st
    Reponse Received – Sep 16.
    Receipt No – WAC1514753***

    Denied reason probably not established employer employee relationship since my team was not able to provide SOW or client letter proceeded only with manager letter CTS.

    This absolutely bizarre mess what our guys do knowingly that this going to happen

    Reply
  27. LongWait,
    You are not only the queue , other 65 K are also so no matters when you got rfe as USCIS will take at least 6 months for process all application And no one will be fly before Oct last week even he got approval on h1b visa so be patience. Correct me if i am wrong.

    Reply
  28. Got RAE after long wait….WAC15142*****. Got email 9/16 IST morning about the RAE…but USCIS website says, RAE mailed on 9/12. So the long waiting still continues …

    Reply
  29. Case was approved
    Got RFE- 11 june
    RFE Response – 27 August
    Approved – 15 September
    Rcpt – EAC15149*****

    Thanks to Redbus2us Team and experts for posting experience and Guidelines.

    Reply
  30. Hi All,

    I am basically from Hyderabad,India..I have applied H1b Visa int his year and my application picked in lottery. However I came to UK on Short term work permit visa (Valid jun 2016)through company. I have few questions over here..

    1. Can i attend H1b Visa interview at London US Embassy in October Month as I have valid UK Visa until Dec 2015?
    2 In My H1b Petition my Location was mentioned as Hyderabad,India..Can I still attend Visa Interview at London??

    If I attend Visa interview at London is it cause any problems in future Visa Extensions or dependents Visas?

    Reply
    • As for applying in London, usually you can apply in country other than your home country, if you live there. I don’t know the exact definition of “live there”, check the consulate website. For instance, students usually have no problems applying, tourists – can’t, as for short term business visitors – I don’t know.

      2. You are not required to apply in the consulate that you originally chose.

      Finally, some attorneys do not recommend applying in a different country, I don’t know if there is any real concern here.

      Reply
  31. Interesting long process came to an end. On Sep 14th I have visited US visa consulate office chennai for my VISA interview. BIG THANKS TO REDBUS2US FOR ALL HELP. Mine is EAC-14-15-85****

    My experience is awesome. Sep 13th I have visited Chennai VAC for Bio metric. Here is nothing, Your DS160, Appointment Letter, Passport. They have taken finger prints of mine and my wife. My one year old daughter were not comfortable enough to show face on camera and I have asked for photo, Its done there. It took 10 mins to complete entire process of Bit-metric.

    Second day, Visa Interview. As I had baby with me, I got priority on all queues and my visa interview got over within couple of minutes. Reason might be, I have 100% clean on documents and submitted from reputed organization. I couldn’t find other reason . Questions for us in Visa Interview are :

    1. Highest qualification
    2. Wife highest qualification
    3, Marriage date
    4. Company address and basic details about work.

    All done.. Hope you all get through easily. Hope for the best. Thanks GOD.

    Reply
  32. So, what are you guys gonna do there? Earn in dollars, make Indian friends only ignoring the locals, criticize American culture, buy property back home in India for retirement, read Indian news, pretend to be patriotic towards India and it’s people, share posta about India on facebook, stay in USA 3-6 years, feel lonely finally and go back? Or are you gonna accept USA as your home and be there forever?

    Reply

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