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]
- H1B 2017 season start date ?
- H1B Cap for FY 2017- Regular ? Masters ?
- H1B 2017 Predictions? Lottery?
- H1B Lottery Myths ?
- How to plan for H1B FY 2017 ?
- How to find H1B Sponsors for FY 2017 ?
- What is H1B Fee ? Details
- Any impact of Comprehensive Immigration Reform(CIR) on H1B
- What is H1B LCA
- H1B 2017 Premium Processing
- H1B 2017 Case Tracker
- Latest News Update of H1B 2017
- When is the next H1B Season ?
- Sample H1B Reject Notices for FY 2017
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 Component | Fee 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 Fee | Varies 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
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.
All those getting the receipts are from the past 5-6 days. More would get their receipts slowly.
PP is done. I strongly believe data entry is done and they will announce it shortly..
As per last year’s statistics, data entry was completed on May 4th. We hope the same for this year too.
As I said.. It’s done.. Hmm
Shall try next year again.
Bye for now
Who knows, you may get lucky.
Good Luck and don’t lose hope yet..
Anyone from MS got any receipt yet for RP?
ufffffffffffffffffffff. got it… 2nd attempt ..WAC16144****** Thank God ..Thank You all .. can sleep nicely today .All the best for everyone ..really wishing everyone to get through this lottery
When did you get your email?
Dude Around 9.45 pm IST..
Thank you God!!!!! Selected in lottery. My employer told me my check got encashed and got receipt number. Very exited. Thanks god again.
It regular non ad.
Best of luck all.
when was your check encashed ??
Don’t know, but i got message from my employer
please give full info….when was your check cashed??
When is the last date for USCIS to encash the check for Non-AD/RP/CA?
When is the last date for USCIS to encash the checks for NON-AD/RP/CA?
@anyone : received receipt today ?
Stop using ‘Slaughter Name’ you may also get one 🙂
Do you know the meaning of it? very inauspicious!!!
no more using “Slaughter “
From my company close to 70 people got receipts.I am very happy for them. Not
Sure about me…..With positive hopes and prayers….
Sometimes plan B also doesnt work.I planned for H4 TO H1 and as a backup enrolled in one of the gud courses as well.With arround 8 years of exp nd single genuine application i prepared myself for both.But no luck in lottery and seems my husband’s job is also at risk due to market condition so not going ahead with masters as well.I will hav to return back now.God is nt helping at all.non ad rp ca
God has nothing to do with this.
I’m same like u. Till now no luck in lottery. 8 years of work experience
Got receipt today
Notice date: april 25
Cheque cashed date: april 25
California/ non ad/ rp
Another frnds date is april 26
May be it will be help ful to know this info.
Congratulations.Yes it is helpful. The receipt generation was on till last thursday i.e. apr 28. So we have hopes…by the way you got notification on apr 25 on your cheque enchantment?
Yes.
Any chance for AD/PP/VT still? Please respond
yep today only one of my frnd got AD/PP receipt from cali state so keep your hopes alive .. you will get notification soon.
all d best, stay cool
Anyone’s case got approved yet?
Processing starts from May 12th, hang in there till then.
Hello Everyone,
I have been following this blog for a while. I never posted anything since I did not have any information about my H1B Petition. I just got an email from school that my SEVIS record says change of status pending. I am so happy. This website and you all guys have been very supportive. Good luck to all.
Non-AD/RP/VT
-AK
You say you got email from school and your petition is NON -AD?. how it is possible??.
He probably did his bachelors in US!
Yes I did my bachelors in US
Any update of selection from GIMS?
What goes around comes around. Let your positive hope brings good news for you as well as for everyone
When Infy is gonna send receipts ! Any infocian got any updates?
USCIS office close today.
how do u know ?
Any one got from GSS infotech ct in
“https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/didnt-win-h-1b-visa-lottery-consider-plan-b-jeff-goldman”
Read this article for multiple options (advanced degree) if your H1B is not selected.
Whatever works !
Fedup,
Anyone selected from Genuineit?
Non Ad RP CSC… still hopeful and hopefully will get the receipt before the end of this week.
Any update?
H4 to H1b_First attempt_Non AD/RP/CA
Got my receipt notice from my employer today morning. This blog been very useful and have always been a silent follower. Can imagine how it feels to wait for this result. Good luck everyone.
Guys only 5 days and death of all hopes. If something miracle going to happen it will be in next 5 days starting from today.
Any updates on non ad rp vt cheque encased? ??
What is amazing here is, so much talented….so much educated professionals are believing in superstitions by keeping name like H1BSLAUGHTER etc.
This indicates that even higher education was not able to make change in person’s thinking and mental state of handling crisis/wait.
Totally Unfortunate!.
???
I Totally Agree With You JACKas
I am sure by this week end will hear the golden words picked up in lottery and the receipt no. Lets hope for the best. Keep your hopes high till 10th May. I am Non AD/RP/CSC – 2nd attempt…..
I am sure by this week end will hear the golden words picked up in lottery and the receipt no. Lets hope for the best. Keep your hopes high till 10th May. I am Non AD/RP/CSC – 2nd attempt….
Yea Totally Agree Buddy
Anyone from Deloitte selected from lottery?
Yeah… One of my friends did… I think he’s AD/RP
No update yet.
Btw when did ur friend get the mail or update?
Is it possible to find out if your friend got the news from the lawyer or the immigration portal?
The portal. I use the same lawyer firm – Seyfarth&Shaw.
Thanks RL for the responses. I really wanted to gauge whether the lawyers were giving me a truthful response when they said they were updating the portal, cause up until now, it felt like they were avoiding my questions by giving me generic responses. Do you know when your friend found out?
The portal. I’m on the same law firm – Seyfarth & Shaw
Any update from nichesoft solution ???
no response from niche software yet.. worried about my future..
Do you know anyone who got selected from NicheSoft?
I think the game is over for AD/PP!!
However there is still a chance for rest.
How do you know
I am sure by this week end will hear the golden words picked up in lottery and the receipt no. Lets hope for the best. Keep your hopes high till 10th May. I am Non AD/RP/CSC – 2nd attempt
Mine is second attempt too MK. by any chance are you from Hyderabad?
Good luck.
Thanks MK for ur hopeful words 🙂 🙂
Hi,
Are u Mini from BOA?
my employer is not calling 🙁
Any one picked from genuineit llc?
No boss
No one picked from them? OR not telling anything? Are they informing for only picked candidates?
I was a silent visitor of this site. Finally my H1B petition has been picked up, today I got a mail at 08:47PM from my employer, it is EAC161465xxxx. Thanks redbus and rest wishing all the best.
Congrats….u are NON-AD? u got receipt or check encashed? if check encashed when ?
If not selected in lottery
lets take vacation and escape
find time for ourselves
cool 🙂
Vedicsoft anyone out there?
Any updates?
Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi,
Anyone got receipt notification from svam?
Thanks,
KG
God will do justice with these people who have cleared the interview process from this body shopping guys. They play with people and and old man selecting bullshit.
They should get rejected and blacklisted.
People updating in this site has reduced.
Does that mean most of them are selected?
Yeah ALL are Selected Except You… WTF… eVerY buddy are busy @work ; expect you BANARASu Babu *&*
shut up
Does change from H4 to H1B come under status change ?
BANARAS_SILK,
Not sure what you are asking here. What do you mean by status change? yes, it is change of status from H-4 to H-1, but also requires an accompanying selected H-1 petition.
Is there anything from Balglobal?..I havent heard any of my mates receiving anything from them since last Tuesday.
Did anyone from BALGLOBAL got any receipts ? Did they get before last tuesday? None of my friends from BALGLOBAL got any news either. Which center do they apply? CTS or Vermont? Any inputs might help
Game over for BALGLOBAL.
How can you say so?
I checked with them today, they haven’t received anything for me till now.
NONAD/RP/VT..Last Tuesday few of my friend got some update but after that nothing which i heard of.
Anything which you knew about
What did they said..Are they going to keep receiving..
Stay cool guys !! I dont know whats there to lose sleep for this petty matter 🙁
please update if cheque encashment is still happening..
i have asked the same question many times but no one is replying….
As per our sources, all checks have been encashed
I m gonna win
are the cheques getting encashed still? waiting & waiting..
WIN watt ??/
When USCIS starts Premium processing. Mine was piked on 15th April. I’m still waiting for update on my case.
Me too in the same boat
I saw this receipt got approved EAC1613753163 mine was before this. Still waiting for my result.
slaughter laughing…..hahahaha
Madness Mann !!!
Non-AD/RP/VT,
My employer received receipt notice on Friday..
2nd attempt with single genuine application..
Congrats
please someone tell me checks got cashed for NON-AD/RP today ? please reply to my comment…
Game over for Saibaba consultancy
Saurabh
What consultancy is tht “sai baba consultancy”
Ram and everyone else,
If I make a post it will be highlighted as Admin. If anyone else uses my name to comment, it won’t have same background color and annotation. Just FYI!
What does it mean if when USCIS announces that Data Entry is complete ? Does that mean there won’t be any checks cashed and no receipts will be generated after that ?
Your Wrong.. It’s just completion of Data Entry, No way relating to Sending Receipts to the Selected ones.
Thanks for your reply….how about checks ? Can we still expect checks being cashed after that ?
Yes.. no Probs… It’s just official announcement of Data Entry, Pending Application work’s Cash Encashment…Sending Receipts Continousss…..
No more checks. They will be processing money orders after may 5
No … Once USCIS completes the data entry that means .. it completed generating receipts for all selected applicants ..
so u may expect receipts with in a week after data entry completed …..
Last Year So many got their Receipts after the Data Entry Work Completion. May 2nd week…3rd week…
after data complete is announced by USCIS…is there any chance for checks get encashed??
Any one from CTS QEA got a receipt so far?
NON-AD /REGULAR PROCESSING / VERMONT
Got an email from my employer that my case was selected last Friday.
Can’t express my happiness in words.
All guys who so waiting, dont loose hope. Your receipt is on the way.
Congrats Buddy
which company you are from?