Home » US Immigration - Visas » H1B Visa » H1B Visa 2017 – News, Quota, Cap, Predictions, Lottery, FAQs

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.

   

Other Articles

23,619 Comments

  1. Just wanted to update : i received my notice receipt today. Good luck to all of you who are still waiting for receipt. Congrats to all of you who aleary received notice receipt

    Reply
  2. Me Waiting…. Losing hope fast….
    Teammate recieved confirmation mail on friday. Myvisa updated on Monday.

    Reply
  3. Hi I got selected in lottery(Non AD/RP) but on my form I-797C it says amount received is 1555$. What does it mean ? USICS haven’t received whole amount from my employer? Please help.

    Thanks,

    Chaitanya

    Reply
  4. I just received it from my employer. Non-AD/RP/VT. Notice date: 28-Apr-2016. Rec Number: EAC16149*****. Wish you all good luck.

    Reply
    • Looks like yes atleast for CTS .
      2 out 3 in my project recieved their reciepts yesterday and I got mine today.

      Reply
  5. I just recieved the confirmation mail from CTS 30 mins back. So there is still hope !! Seems mobility is sending it one by one in random fashion . My friend got the confirmation yesterday

    Reply
  6. computerworld.com/article/3064712/h1b/us-uncovers-20m-h-1b-fraud-scheme.html oh man these people. Making a bad name for honest applicants

    Reply
  7. Any news at all from TCS? People from Infy, IBM and CTS are already getting receipts while TCS shows absolutely nothing.

    Any info is precious 🙁

    Reply
  8. Infosys will begin publishing the result from May 15. This is what they responded for my AHD. Lets wait till then.

    Reply
  9. @sourabh ,

    I have Received the Receipt Number and Document from USCIS as well. But when I check my Receipt number against the USCIS Web site under the check status, Unfortunately my Receipt number is not showing please suggest….

    Reply
  10. Check this link…Game over

    uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-data-entry-fiscal-year-2017-h-1b-cap-subject-petitions

    Reply
  11. My check got cashed on 29th April….but I haven’t received my receipt number yet….how much time it will take????

    Reply
    • My check got cashed on 21st April. I am still waiting for receipt. I know many others whose checks got cashed same time as me..Even they are still waiting for receipts. We will get receipts in a week to 10 days – Many receipts coming this week. don’t worry

      Reply
  12. Asked DSO about SEVIS status change today – no updated. Good luck to everybody else, I will hope for better luck next year!

    Reply
  13. I filed h1b through a consultant and paid them some amout for filing. Can you please advise what should I ask for from them to confirm if they submitted an application on my behalf.

    I worked in US for 4years on L1 visa and due to some personal issue had to come back and stop working. Now, I am trying to get back to US.

    I guess now I do not stand a chance. Just wanted to confirm from my consultant if they ever file h1.

    I am considering Canada as second option. How is the job market there for US healthcare experience?

    Thanks in advance for your responses.

    Best,
    NC

    Reply
    • check if they filed LCA. Only Certified LCA can be sent to USCIS. LCA data is publicly available. Go to Icert portal and find your LCA

      Reply
      • Hi InfyH1b, thanks for your response. ICERT portal doesn’t open up. What should I be looking for? Can I ask consultant to provide LCA document and the copy of application they submitted?

        Thanks,
        NC

        Reply
        • Hi,
          I just checked, The web portal https://icert.doleta.gov/ is accessible in united state. In case you have client network access like VPN, Citrix or VDI….try accessing it and put the LCA case number under “icert case status check”. it will show you the VISA type it is prepared for and status like “certified or not”..

          BUUUTTT…I still have doubt, As per above message by Infy H1B, This will only show if your LCA is certified or not. ands FYI, LCA can be certified by employer before submitting the petition application. So though you can see the LCA status certified for you…there is no guarantee on petition filled by employer.

          Reply
    • Since you paid money, you committed an illegal act. I hope you don’t get selected in lottery and if you are, your application is denied and another worthy candidate gets it.

      Reply
      • Dear H1b fraud detector, I appreciate what you wrote. I did pay for it and I got my reasons. I dont think I am not worthy. I am better than most folks ranting here about their education and thier worth. I darespeak about the folks who said AD needs special quota. Bullshit. You came to study there because you could afford or you had the means it doesnt make you a bit more smarter than a non AD person. Or if someone applied through consultant… Big deal … In the end if you get it you still have to work, earn respect and continue to stay in the US. I know I wont get it because game is over and your acerbic tongue is not the reason why I did not get it.

        Peace Out!

        Thanks,
        Neha

        Reply
        • You did pay and you got your reasons. We do understand that, but the fact is your reasons dont justify an illegal act gal. Just like stealing something and saying I was hungry will still land you in jail..

          Indians are the most greedy and unethical people I have seen in America.

          EB1C Fraud
          Fake Experience Fraud
          H1B Fraud

          Google H1B fraud, and incidentally all the names are Indian.. Your MODI will make it great so please stay there..

          Reply
  14. Whatever it is please update. Didn’t hear from any person so far? anyone from igate(Cpagemini) received their recipt. update please.

    Reply
  15. Non-Ad/Regular/Vermont: Finally after 3rd attempt my husband’s application got picked in the lottery. Thanks to Redbus2US and everyone else for all the updates.

    Reply
  16. hi ,

    can anyone free/relieved from h1 tension tell me what will be uscis process after getting picked in lottery?

    tnx

    Reply
  17. I’m happy I got selected in the lottry. First time applied .

    I pray for all guys who are eagerly waiting for lottry selection.

    Wish you all the best guys . Good luck

    Reply
  18. So does data entry complete mean that all selected petitions’ checks should have been cashed in by now?

    Reply
  19. All friends who have noted nirmal baba n your communication today,please remember to write back as you start getting your confirmations tomorrow
    Jai Baba Nirmal

    Reply
  20. Someone please suggest. It’s my 2nd attempt. No updates from employer. People r saying that there is no hopes anymore.

    Can I expect some good news?

    Reply
  21. I need …Magic magic magic
    Guys whats the chance?
    Non ad RP Vt.
    Data entry done.shall I wait or start looking for some alternatives?

    Reply

Leave a Comment