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H1B Visa 2017 – News, Quota, Cap, Predictions, Lottery, FAQs

If you were one of the unlucky ones not picked in whopping 233,000 H1B 2016 Lottery Applications , you might be already wondering when is the next H1B season going to start.  Also, some of you may be studying in US and some working abroad and planning to work in US next year. This page will be constantly updated with the latest details and commonly asked questions around the next upcoming H1B Visa fiscal year of 2017 season news and updates.
[alert type=”warning” close=”false” heading=”H1B Visa Cap reached for FY 2017, Lottery Done “]  On April 7th, H1B Cap for FY 2017 was reached. Lottery was done on April 9th. Read News Summary – Over 236,000 Petitions for FY2017 [/alert]

When will the H1B visa 2017 season start ? Date ?

Short answer April 1st 2016. Typically, USCIS will start to accept petitions for the next fiscal year starting from April 1st of the previous fiscal year. USCIS fiscal year is from October 1st to September 30th. So, for H1B quota of fiscal year 2017, which starts from October 1st, 2017, USCIS would typically accept applications from April 1st, 2016.  The H1B Visa 2016 season started on April 1st of 2015.  Also, in the H1B Rejected Notices of 2016, USCIS mentioned that, the non-selected candidates can file H1B petitions for FY 2017 on or after April 1st, 2016.

USCIS announced on March 16th, 2016 that they will accept FY 2017 petitions from April 1st, 2016. Read Summary of USCIS press release FY 2017 .
Also, we have written an article summarizing on What to expect in H1B FY 2017 Season 

What is H1B 2017 Cap ? What are the H1B 2017 Quota numbers ? Regular vs Masters ?
If you new to H1B, I suggest you read All about H1B Visa Cap- Regular vs Masters. In simple terms H1B cap is a congressional mandated maximum number of petitions that USCIS can accept in a year.  As of now, below are the H1B cap number for fiscal year 2017.  The below numbers are confirmed in press release by USCIS on Mar 16, 2016.

  • Regular H1B Quota : 65,000
  • H1B Master’s Degree Quota ( only US Master 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.

There have been many discussions around change in H1B cap numbers by Obama administration since 2013. The planned proposal was to increase the regular quota cap to 110,000 and Masters quota to 25,000.  No changes for FY 2017, the above numbers of 65,000 and 20,000 are officially confirmed by USCIS in their press release.

What is H1B Visa 2017 Prediction? Will there be Lottery again for FY 2017

Update :  USCIS Updated on April 12th, 2016 that they have received over 236,000 petitions for FY 2017 quota and the lottery was completed on April 9th.

Looking at the past trend of H1B season in the past three years, we could very likely have lottery for FY 2017. Last year for FY 2016 quota, there were 233,000 applications. We have done a detail analysis with the H4 Visa EAD rule in place considering the economy, students graduating, OPT news, etc.  You should read  article H1B Visa 2017 Lottery Prediction News, results, Date .

If H1B lottery, will there be any preference in lottery for Large companies ? Premium Processing 
Well, no preference for anyone, all are treated equally, including premium processing. There are many such misconceptions about lottery process, we have compiled a list of such myths and criteria, you should read Myths of H1B Lottery, Criteria

When to plan for H1B visa 2017 Application ? How soon ? What should be the strategy ?
It is never too late to start planning for your H1B 2017 season. If you plan to work in US on H1B visa in the next coming fiscal year, below are some suggestions based on your situation.

  • F1 Student in USA : If you are studying on F1 visa and about to graduate in next one year, you should seriously look at finding an internship or co-op at companies that can sponsor your H1B visa. You can search for H1B Sponsors in a particular area using our H1B Sponsors Search Tool and try to get an internship to work there on CPT or OPT after you graduate. This is a strategic move and will require sometime, so plan well.
  • Professional from outside USA : If you are a working professional outside US, planning to work in US on H1B, your best bet is to find Multinational companies that have major US presence and secure a job there, so that you can position internally for applying to H1B visa, when the season starts. This is a very strategic decision, you need to carefully assess your options, speak to the company if such options exist and then only choose it.
  • Other H4, L1 Visas : If you are on these visas, your best bet is to find companies just like I mentioned for F1 students that sponsor H1B visas and start interviewing and keeping the conversation going so that you can ask them to file H1B when the season starts.

We have put together a Step by Step Plan on How to apply for H1B 2017 Quota

How do I find a H1B Visa Sponsor – The most asked million dollar question ?
If you are student in the US, it is very straight forward, you find the list of H1B Sponsoring companies using the tool in an area as I mentioned above and get an internship in one of them so that they can sponsor your H1B visa.   Unlike, if you are coming from outside US, it can be tricky.  If you work for an Multinational company ( MNC), then they will have some internal process to pick the candidates and then process H1B visa for them…The other option that has been used and abused is the consulting companies route…Many a times, the H1B aspirants approach a body shop IT consulting company to file H1B for them and they apply for the same. It gets nasty with the body shop consulting companies.  The comments on this H1B Companies Reviews article are quite eye opening. I advise, you beware of the consulting companies and avoid fraud.  Also, WE as RedBus2US do NOT provide any guidance or assistance or sponsor anything. If someone claims that, it is pure fraud and they are trying to trick you, we are not responsible for that. Please be careful. Anyways, for various other options , You may read article How to find H1B 2017 Sponsors

What is the H1B visa 2017 filing fee ? Is it same or any changes ?
It changed slightly this year with the Omnibus Bill passed in December 2015, that will increase the H1B filing fee by $4000 for FY 2017, until 2025 for certain companies that have over 50 employees and have more than 50% of their employees as H1B or L1 visa holders in USA.  Check USCIS Guidelines on H1B Fee increase. Depending on the size of the company, the H1B filing fee can vary anywhere from $1,600 USD to $7,400 USD + Attorney Fee. There are various fees components that make up this number range, for more details Read Summary of H1B Filing Fee 2017 – Who pays for What ? . Below is a high level summary. Also, one key change is that,  there was $2000 USD additional filing fee as per Public Law 111-230, this law expired on Sep 30, 2015 and that is not included anymore.

H1B Fee ComponentFee in USD
 Base filing fee$325
AICWA Fee$750  or $1,500
Fraud prevent & detection fee$500
Fee based on Public Law 114-113 ( if applicable)$4000
Premium processing fee (Optional)$1,225
Immigration Attorney FeeVaries from $500 to $3000

What about Comprehensive Immigration Reform(CIR) and Obama Executive Actions for H1B 2017 Quota Increase ? 
There has been many articles and discussions since 2013 around immigration reform by President Obama and changes around and some like below have been discussed in the last couple of years, nothing moved significantly.

  • 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  ( Part of this came up as the fee increase in Omnibus Bill )
  • Additional H1B rules to avoid H1B Visa fraud by employers
  • Mandatory LCA posting for 30 days before it is certified.

The current status on all of the above are basically “No updates”,  there are no set deadlines for any of them and none of these are happening for FY 2017. You may read Summary of CIR Changes to H1B . Officially as per press release on March 16, 2016, the H1B cap is confirmed to be 65,000 for regular and 20,000 for masters…hence, no changes.

What is LCA for H1B Visa ? Processing times ?
LCA is a form that has to be filed with US Dept of Labor and get it certified before filing H1B petition with USCIS. It has to be sent along with H1B Package to USCIS.  It has all the relevant information about the job position like wage, location, title, etc. It takes about 7 working days for processing of the LCA by US Dept of Labor (DOL). You can read complete details at Why is LCA Needed for H1B – Processing Time, Salary 

H1B Visa 2017 Premium Processing Time :

USCIS Updated in their original press release on March 16, 2016 that the premium processing will begin no later than May 16, 2016.  But, on April 22nd, they updated that the premium processing for FY 2017 will begin on May 12th, 2016. What it means is that the official 15 calendar day SLA for premium processing petitions will be starting from 12th.  USCIS may process the petitions early as well, but officially their clock starts on that day.

H1B 2017 Case Tracker  :
Did you apply for FY 2017 ?  We have put together a tracker along with good graphs for analysis. It is completely anonymous as we do not capture your case number or any personal information. It is community contributed data, the more you add, the better for everyone, including  You !

[prompt type=”left” title=”Track your H1B Case” message=” Anonymously Track your H1B Case – Share and Get updated from Community.” button_text=”H1B 2017 Case Tracker” href=”https://redbus2us.com/trackers/h1b-visa-tracker/”]

Most Recent News of FY 2017 H1B
Below is the most recent news regarding H1B 2017 season. You can check the updates page as indicated below for the full history and details.

  • July 8th, 2016 ( Official ) : USCIS released a press note today indicating that they have completed returning all the petitions that were not selected in the H1B lottery for FY 2017. Read More details here 
  • May 2nd, 2016 ( Official Update ) : USCIS updated that data entry is complete for selected petitions in lottery. if you were selected, you should receive receipt notices in 2 to three weeks. If not, the chances are very slim to get selected. You should look at your plan B.  Read H1B Data Entry Complete Article for full details
  • April 22nd, 2016 : (Official Update) USCIS Updated that they will start premium processing from May 12th, instead of May 16th.
  • April 12th, 2016 – 6:30 PM EST : Official Update :  USCIS released a press note that H1B lottery was completed on April 9th and they received over 236,000 petitions for FY 2017 quota. Read Press Release Summary  
  • April 12th, 2016 – 11:50 AM CST ( Unofficial Update ) : It is reported on blog by attorney ( immigrationgirl ) that they have received about 40 email receipts of Premium Processing. What it means is that USCIS has already conducted lottery. We will keep you posted with updates. If I am not wrong, they are just drafting the press release now.

[prompt type=”left” title=”H1B 2017 – Latest News Updates” message=” Most recent and complete history of all latest breaking news updates from Official sources like USCIS and Unofficial sources for FY 2017 Season.” button_text=”Latest H1B 2017 News” href=”https://redbus2us.com/h1b-visa-2017-cap-count-updates-tracker-news/”]

When is the next H1B Season ?

The next H1B season starts on April 1st, 2017.  Wondering about your next chance for H1B and various details about the next H1B season, check out H1B Visa 2018 FAQs

Sample H1B Reject Notices for FY 2017 ?

USCIS has started to mail out the reject notices for FY 2017 petitions that were not picked in lottery. It says that the start date for next year H1B season is April 1, 2017. You can check out the Sample Reject Notice for FY 2017, Details

We have many more FAQs around H1B Visa 2017. We will continue to keep updating the page with latest news and updates regarding FY 2017. Bookmark this page and keep checking for updates.

   

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23,619 Comments

  1. I guess the receipt generation thing by USCIS is over by now or today is the last day. They are going for system maintainenance on Sunday.
    So as of now we are waiting for the receipts which are on the way and the one which are kept on hold by the employers to be disclosed later.
    Guys this is just a thot which i shared, i am still waiting .. 1st time|non-ad|rp|vt

    Reply
  2. Guys from CTS:

    Any updates? Anyone/ Any of your friends/ Anyone from your team got receipt notification today? The wait is killing..

    Reply
  3. I and my friend both need H1B and its our first chance…i wish to God we both land in US
    keeping fingers closed. Ppl say only 1 out of 7 makes it in our firm.

    Reply
  4. I am a first timer. SO asking this doubt .
    Please help me understand.
    My employer has initiated H1B and submitted on 6th apr.
    But MY LCA is not initiated. IS it FIne?
    When does LCA gets initiated?

    Reply
    • Bro SaiRam…
      I don’t think its possible to file a H1 without LCA.
      Others, Please advise. Even I am new but I am sure.. LCA first

      Reply
    • SaiRam,

      LCA is a pre-req for H-1 petition. Until LCA is certified, your H-1 cannot be processed. Did employer file H-1 w/o any LCA attached?

      Reply
      • yes when docs were submitted i didnt see any LCA doc in it..
        guess he was just fooled me to keep me in the company :'(

        Reply
  5. Hello!

    Are they still notifying Non-AD/PP/VT? And in case the petition was rejected, when should you expect to hear about that?

    My lawyer said I should wait until mid-May before assuming I did not get the lottery.

    Thanks for your help!

    Reply
    • @ Emilia

      I am a Non-AD/ PP/ VT myself. Lawyers are too kind to tell you the truth…its game over I am afraid.

      Just ask your lawyer to make you some odds…and anything above 1% I would sell to him….

      Reply
  6. Iam from infy….waiting for the result. This is my 3rd attempt. Today I have called GI team and asked for the status . They told that that haven’t received any updates on lottery process. Let’s have a whasapp group to know the I dividing status from each DC. My no is 9581221166. And the group name is H1BFROMINFY2017

    Reply
  7. So happy my consultant told that my cheque got encased… Thanks almighty.. I don’t have any application number or something….thanks this forum helped me a lot and I learnt many things from this site…thanks kumar and all contributors…

    Reply
    • congrats bro… i understand ur pain… happy for u… i’m also 2nd time still waiting… No i’m not waiting … i know i’m not selected.. simply chking this forum and i’m happy for all selected floks..

      wishing good luck for others

      Reply
  8. Hai Kumar

    I would like to know few things.

    My consultancy firm processed 67 files for H1B Cap 2017
    He confirmed that they have received 15 PP-AD ,17 RP-AD ,13 PP/Non AD and 9 RP/Non Ad
    One of my friend got picked in RP/Non Ad
    apart from AD and PP how come they will be knowing selected applicants

    I mean first they will know the cheques got en cashed and later on receipt numbers for particular applicant OR USCIS will en cash all the cheques before sending receipts for selected applicants

    if you dont understan my sentences plz explain the process of RP
    Reply is appriciated

    Reply
  9. anyone got any idea about how many % applications have been processed and how many are pending for each centre ? Non-AD/RP

    Reply
  10. Hi
    Can anyone please help me with Cap-exempt related doubt
    – I was in US between 2007-2009 on H1. H1 expired on 01/10/2009. Its now more than 6 years that I have been outside of US. Am I still eligible to apply a cap-exempt H1? If yes, what are the chances?

    Reply
    • Uday

      Hi yes you can claim the remaining portion of the 6 year H1B tenure that you have not completed and in this case it would be 4 years. So find a suitable employer and file for a cap exempt.

      Please do not go by more than 6 year old approval , i myself am an example i had a approved visa from 2001-2003 which i never travelled on .I applied under cap exempt and got approval recently waiting to go for visa stamping.

      Reply
  11. Hi All ,

    I got the Confirmation from my employer that Cheque got Deducted .

    *Category : Non-AD / Regular/ CSC

    *My Employer provided me the receipt number as well where i could check it in the USCIS [My Case Was Received]

    * I was informed that USCIS scanned the cheque with Receipt Number written on the cheque

    *Date that it was mentioned is Apr 26th , and Cheque Deducted is Apr 28th

    *Yet to get the Hard Copy from the USCIS

    let’s wait till May 6th as the processing is little slow and inconsistet .

    this is my third attempt finally in the game and pushed to the next level of Approval .

    All the best guys !

    Reply
  12. Anyone from Igate-Capgemini recived any notice from HR team so far??
    Please let us know ..
    Not even aware of whom to contact for the updates

    Reply
    • IGate-Capgemini is worst in communication… they aren’t transparent in overall process. Status just says case pending with immigration but in actual LCA is also not shared.. They say process has changed but not sure why to hide LCA.

      Reply
  13. 3rd Time posting this query people. How long does it take for case status to move from Case Received to Case Approved (Assuming no RFE).

    Any last year candidates around that can shed some light?

    Reply
      • Can we do PP when the petition is in reviewing Phase?? Btw, mine got picket but just wanted to know the result of approval quickly.

        Reply
        • H1B Aspirant,

          If your petition is picked and you have the receipt number, then it can be upgraded to PP. However, official start date for PP services is still May 12. So you may not know the result until May 29.

          Reply
    • Hi ZK,

      Case-1:Non-AD/PP or AD/PP without RFE should be completed by May ending
      Case-2:Non-AD/PP or AD/PP with RFE depends on the date your employer reply to USCIS + 15 days
      Case-3: Non-AD/Regular without RFE – one of my friend got in June 1st week and the other got in July 1st week
      Case-4:Non-AD/Regular with RFE – It’s very inconsistent again – to inform RFE itself has taken around till July , if Employer Replied immediately + 2 months [on the last day my friend got Approval – it happened in couple of cases ] mostly they are updated on the last day and it’s for last year

      It is the observation from my end with the real time example , if anything else is exeptional i am not aware of the same

      Thanks
      Ranjit

      Reply
  14. Premium processing guys still waiting for H1B decisions : Forget it and move on. You lost the lottery. Come up with Plan B. Premium processing is 95% over. Last year, USCIS did final data entry on 2nd May. This year, USCIS may do the same sometime next week.

    For all applicants, if you don’t get a receipt by May 20th, it is a sureshot indication your application was not picked in the lottery. Don’t wait till June. Time is running out fast …..

    Reply
  15. Hi Just Now i called service desk of GIMS.
    In WIPRO till now no body received about the status .some where i have seen comment saying that pune location got updated. is it true?

    Reply
  16. Infy Guys!!! Anyone notified about Lottery results/ Receipt number in GICS? I don’t know where we are heading to.. Other companies starting getting the lottery results which is creating much expectation day by day!!!

    Reply
    • No updates as of now. I had called up GI help desk two days back. They said results will be available only by the second week of May. These guys are usually slow.
      Let’s hope for the best!

      Reply
  17. Did anybody from CTS receive the ‘receipt #’ last night or today early morning? Looks like we will get few this morning around at 10 AM IST.

    Reply
  18. Hi Guys..

    I have got the receipt yesterday night (02:00 AM IST). my employer has forwarded the receipt.

    it was tough until i got to know that i am selected in lottery ..

    I almost lost my hopes and preparing for plan B …

    It was NON AD – RP – CA

    thanks guys and thanks admin..

    Reply
    • None. Still awaiting results through computer sciences corporation. Do we have any internal portal such as INS Zoom where we can check status.

      Reply
      • I am based of US (client Side) on L1 visa. I believe there is no internal portal to check the status ( though I am not sure of CSC India). I have been told that result will be available on the portal provided by the BAL attorney.. Was your petition prepared by BAL??

        Reply

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