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H1B Visa 2018 – News, Quota, Cap, Lottery Results, FAQs

This page is constantly updated with latest news, info, FAQs on current H1B 2018 season. Below are some topics, FAQs covered on this page.

  • Start of  H1B Visa 2018 season ?
  • H1B Quota for FY 2018 ?
  • H1B visa 2018 Lottery Predictions ?
  • Plan for H1B FY 2018 Application ?
  • Find Visa Sponsors for H1B 2018 ?
  • H1B Visa 2018 Fee ?
  • H1B 2018 Lottery Results
  • H1B 2018 Petitions  Tracker – Crowdsourced
  • New President Trump Administration Impact on H1B Visa 2018 Quota?
  • Latest News updates of H1B FY 2018

H1B 2018, 2019 Season is over, H1B 2020 Season Starts on April 1st, 2019.  Check out H1B Visa 2020 – Start Date, Fee, Lottery – FAQs 

If this is your first year of H1B visa filing, you must read What is H1B Visa, Requirements, Process . Not to scare you, Last year, there was lottery for H1B season and for FY 2017 USCIS received 236,000 applications .

When does H1B Visa 2018 Season Start ?
Update : USCIS accepted H1B Petitions for FY 2018 starting from April 3rd, 2017 until April 7th. They updated that H1B Cap was reached on April 7th, 2017. 
Typically, USCIS accepts H1B petitions for next fiscal year starting from April 1st. So, for FY 2018, the start date for accepting applications would be April 1st, 2017.  But, for FY 2018 season, April 1st falls on a Saturday, so USCIS will accept applications starting from Monday, April 3rd, 2017.   If you were wondering why called 2018, when in 2017, it is the fiscal year dates that dictate that. USCIS fiscal year is from October 1st to March 30th. So, technically the fiscal year for 2018 starts from October 1st and they accept petitions for the same 6 months before the start date and it would be April 1st, 2017.  You may read USCIS Press release for H1B 2017 Start Date 

What is H1B 2018 Quota ? Regular Cap vs Master’s Cap Quota ? 
Update : USCIS confirmed the below quota cap numbers in latest press release for FY 2018. 
To get some background, read H1B Quota – Regular vs Masters .  There have been many speculations on increasing the H1B Cap due to extremely high demand and bills proposed for the same in the past, nothing made it through. As of writing of this article, below is the H1B cap quota. We will keep this article updated as new changes come in.  The total H1B Quota as of today is 85,000 and it is split like below.

Regular H1B Quota 65,000
Master’s H1B Quota ( Only US Masters Degree Eligible)20,000

Out of the above 85,000 quota, 6,800 are set aside for Singapore and Chile citizens as part of the free trade agreement between them. Also, check out the article with history of maximum H1B Cap from 1990 to 2017 

H1B 2018 Lottery Predictions ? 
It used to be a speculation whether we would have lottery in previous years, but in the past 4 years, lottery has become common. It is very likely that we would have lottery aka random selection for H1B 2018 season.  We have been writing predictions over the years and all of them have been accurate so far. Check out our H1B Visa 2018  Lottery Predictions – Data Analysis  to get an idea on how many H1B petitions you can expect for this fiscal year.

Update : USCIS Received 199,000 H1B petitions for fiscal year 2018.  H1B Lottery was conducted on April 11th, 2017.

Are you planning for next fiscal year, Read  H1B Visa 2019 – Lottery Date, News, FAQs 

When to plan for H1B 2018 Application – What should be your strategy ?
It is never too late to start planning…Depending on your situation, you may fall in one of the below categories and the suggestions are described below.

  • 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.
  • Working Professional from outside USA : If you are a working professional outside US, planning to work in US, especially  on H1B visa, your best bet is to find Multinational companies ( MNCs) 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. There may be many people already in-line for these visas, you need to plan carefully so that you are given a slot in the company’s filing for your next season application.
  • Other H4, L1 Visas :  If you are on these visas living in USA, 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.

For FY 2017, we have put together a Step by Step Plan on How to apply for H1B 2017 Quota, it gives a guideline on the planning and what steps exists.

How to find H1B Visa Sponsor for FY 2018 quota ?
This is probably the most asked question by everyone. It can be a tricky decision, you need be very careful to avoid fraud.

  • 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.
  • If you are professional planning to arrive in US from outside America,  it can be really 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

We have an article that we wrote for previous season, you may read article How to find H1B 2017 Sponsors to find out various options.

What is H1B Visa 2018 Fee ? How much does it cost for the company ? 

The H1B fee varies by the size of the company..As of FY 2017 season, it can range anywhere from $1,600 USD to $7,400 USD + Attorney Fee. On December 23, 2016 , USCIS increased the H1B fee component of base filing fees, which was $325. The below table is updated with the latest fee updates from USCIS.  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 from FY 2017 quota.  If any changes, we will update this accordingly.

H1B Fee ComponentFee in USD
 Base filing fee$460
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

H1B 2018 Lottery Results – Checks Cashed, Receipts : 
One of the most asked questions is when will I get to know the lottery result for my petition. Well, this depends on many factors and there is no set SLA or date.  To put things in perspective,  last year, USCIS did a news alert indicating that they have returned all the rejected H1B petitions on July 8th, 2017. So, you can expect the last date for receiving final lottery decision around mid July 2017. …As we had about same number of petitions filed for FY 2018, it may be slightly earlier or even later in July or even early August 2017…  Few of the ways you would know, if you are selected in lottery is that, if the check that was filed with your H1B petition was cashed, or your employer gets the actual physical receipt notice in mail to them. If you filed under US masters quota, SEVIS update is another indication that you were selected in H1B lottery for FY 2018.  Ideally, your receipt numbers should arrive within 1 to 2 months…but, you never know, until you get a reject notice to be sure !

H1B 2018 Case Tracker  :
Did you apply for FY 2018 ?  With premium processing suspended, it is quite hard for applicants to know the general status of everyone to understand their situation. 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 2018 Case Tracker” href=”https://redbus2us.com/trackers/h1b-visa-tracker/”]
New President Trump Administration Impact on H1B Visa 2018 Quota?

We do not know, if this news release is directed by Trump administration or not…but, on April 3rd, 2017 the start date of H1B season, there were set of new announcements made by USCIS to report and prevent abuse of H1B program. Check out USCIS New measures to report, prevent H1B Fraud  . Besides this, as of the today ( article updated date), nothing has been officially ordered or specifically implemented by New President Trump Administration. There are many speculations on how H1B program will become tougher with higher wages, quota limits, etc… but, nothing has been officially signed. We will update the article as new updates come in.

Various H1B Bills  in US House and Senate  – Will they be passed for FY 2018 ?
There are few bills that are introduced in 2017 and at various stages in both house and senate. There are many confusions regarding the same bills like the minimum wage will go up to $130,000 USD, etc.  Fact is that nothing has passed and there are very slim chances for them to get passed before start of FY 2018 season. You can check H1B Bills Tracker to get more details on current status. We will keep the article updated as new things are passed.

Latest News about H1B 2018 Season 
High Level Latest News for FY 2018 is listed below. But, all the Latest News are tracked on our H1B 2018 News and Updates Tracker Page. Check out below.

[prompt type=”left” title=”H1B 2018 – 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 2018 Season.” button_text=”Latest H1B 2018 News” href=”https://redbus2us.com/h1b-visa-2018-cap-count-updates-tracker-latest-news-info/”]

Are you planning for FY 2018 quota ?  What are your questions ? Add your thoughts.

   

Other Articles

12,891 Comments

  1. Guys, USCIS now officially has an email account where people can report h-1b abuse. Please go ahead and banish all these abusers (consultancies, fraudsters, bodyshoppers) so justice can be served.

    REPORTH1BABUSE@USCIS.DHS.GOV

    Reply
      • Why not? I know people in some of these consultancies that have been sitting in the US without project or pay. Pls. Tell me how that’s fair or legal.

        And on top of that, these companies have been fined before by USCIS for unlawful abuse. So not sure what you’re suggesting. These companies have played their fair share in abusing the system as well.

        Reply
        • I wish they just check the LCA, see “H-1B dependent employer”, and outright reject the petition w/o putting into the lottery at all.

          This is United States, not some third world country banana republic where you may not have enough educated, skilled employees. If an employer is dependent on foreign labor, maybe with some exceptions in agriculture, well, maybe they should reconsider their hiring policies so they don’t be dependent on H-1Bs.

          Reply
        • So in that case these companies should not only be applying this year?

          Or is too late for that and these companies would be permanently banned now?

          I wish this had happened years ago.. Indians would have had better reputation..

          Reply
      • As MEntioned by Indian_MNC_Count, These companies get 70%-80% of approved petitions.
        That means only 13K is available for all others.

        Reply
  2. https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/putting-american-workers-first-uscis-announces-further-measures-detect-h-1b-visa-fraud-and-abuse

    Released: April 3, 2017

    This makes me so so happy. Can’t wait for all you fraudsters to get caught by USCIS this year and deserving candidates to get the visa’s.

    Reply
  3. https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/putting-american-workers-first-uscis-announces-further-measures-detect-h-1b-visa-fraud-and-abuse

    Reply
  4. http://immigrationgirl.com/uscis-rescinds-memo-on-h-1b-specialty-occupation-for-computer-related-positions-no-the-sky-is-not-falling/

    Reply
  5. A Breaking Piece of News !

    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services quietly over the weekend “released new guidance” that computer programmers are no longer presumed to be eligible for H-1B visas.

    You can go to the below link and click on the “released new guidance”.

    https://www.axios.com/computer-programmers-may-no-longer-be-eligible-for-h-1b-visas-2342531251.html

    NOTE: I however do not confirm the authenticity of this article. So, please don’t blame it on me. Do read the full article though and draw your own conclusions.

    Reply
  6. My Prediction : it seems the number of applications this year will be half of what we have seen last year.
    As most of the employers have cut down the applications to be filed this year.

    Reply
    • Mr. Second Chance, based on what statistics, are you making this prediction that the number of LCA’s filed will be less ?

      Just to update you, I checked my Status on INS Zoom, and it shows as Filed on Mar 31st. It would take a few days to reach USCIS offices, but for other friends of mine, it is yet to show the same status. Comments please.

      Reply
  7. We do have sites which tells the no. of LCA’s filed per year by different H1B employers. Do we have data regarding H1B approved petitions(Out of 65K) per year by top 20 H1B employers?

    Reply
    • There is no such official data, but most of these goes to IT companies in India( cognizant, IBM, Infy, Wipro)

      They get 70%-80% of total.

      Reply
  8. Is this true? 2018 random lottery confirmed by USCIS?

    https://immigrationview.foxrothschild.com/general-immigration-news-and-updates/fy2018-h-1b-cap-random-lottery-confirmed/

    Reply
    • There cannot be any confirmation of lottery until all the applications are received. If the total number of applications crosses 85,000, then random lottery comes into effect. If the applications are below 85,000, all applicants will receive a receipt.

      Reply
  9. Vibgyor,

    How about a rainbow or satrangi as username?
    Google search will answer your question. I can bet you are one of the WITCHes.

    Reply
  10. This doesn’t solve the actual problem and won’t stand, the court upheld the petition filed last year. The H1s should be given based on merit as it was originally intended (highly skilled), you should not get any special privilege just because you applied last year and did not get selected. What legit companies will have an open offer for more than an year? The exception is the students already working in those companies on OPT, but again not every student is highly skilled, many work for the desi body shop consultancies. Hopefully the immigration reform (second in priority after tax reform) will address the lottery

    Reply
  11. For all those who have already applied more than once (including for the year 2018), here is the details of the page, which gives you a chance to be heard.

    “If you are an employer or employee who has failed to be selected in at least one lottery since 2013, including this year, please complete the form below so that we may review the facts of your case for potential class membership.

    Some class members have also offered to provide declarations to support the lawsuit as a class action. The purpose of the lawsuit is to allow those with rejected H-1B petitions the opportunity to re-submit petitions and receive a place in line ahead of those who file for the first time at a later date.

    This remedy would provide “priority” for next fiscal year’s H-1B numbers to those who had filed for an H-1B this year, or in previous years, and were not selected in the random lottery. The information collected on this form is for the purpose of identifying a class of people impacted by the illegal lottery process, and investigating potential claims, and will not be disclosed to third parties without express permission in writing.”

    So visit the website: [removed – promotional ] and make a statement which matters.

    Reply
    • This doesn’t solve the actual problem and won’t stand, the court upheld the petition filed last year. The H1s should be given based on merit as it was originally intended (highly skilled), you should not get any special privilege just because you applied last year and did not get selected. What legit companies will have an open offer for more than an year? The exception is the students already working in those companies on OPT, but again not every student is highly skilled, many work for the desi body shop consultancies. Hopefully the immigration reform (second in priority after tax reform) will address the lottery

      Reply
    • If the intent is to have a priority based system, then petition submission date alone may not be a valid indicator. Actually it will be a bad measure. Since consulting companies can file more petitions without any merit and can be ahead in line. Further a temporary work visa can not and should not be valid across various years.

      Nothing to discourage you, but this method has lot of loopholes and will be misused. I sincerely hope the best people get selected this year.

      Reply
  12. I think there will be no lottery. USCIS goal will be to issue as little H1s as possible without need for legislative update. So what they will do is to keep accepting applications without any deadline and pulling the applications one-by-one out of the pull. Then they will drag the processing for as long as possible so that after a year has passed there are still unused numbers and since the unused numbers do not carry over they will be lost.

    Reply
  13. I don’t wanna sound like a sick psychopath, but I wanna drive up to Vermont on Monday and observe the delivery trucks lining up in front of the Vermont service center!

    Reply
  14. My final estimate is 150k to 155k irrespective of 186k LCAs shown. Hope all deserving people who are working in US right now gets through lottery

    Reply
    • Looks like the total LCA number last year these days for Jul 1 -Sep 30 (2016) was 214K (yes, I looked at the comments made on March 31 of last year’s page 😀 ) and it is 200K for the same period this year. But I am hoping that there has been more LCAs filed for H1 extensions this year as oppose to last year since everyone rushed to benefit from the last days of premium processing. That could be the game changer.

      Reply
      • July 1 is not a good time for new petitions. Employers generally file Aug 1- Sep 30 as start dates to make sure they lose as much as less days possible. If you look at petitions of random companies, most of the new ones are filed between that date range. Month of July really does not correspond to new filings. Just my thought. I may be wrong.

        Reply
        • I agree with you. I just felt the need to make comparison between the Jul 1- Sep 30 ranges of this and last year since I saw guys mentioning the LCA count of that range from last year’s forum. But as I said, there has to be more LCAs for extentions and etc this year. I still believe it will be around 150K to 180 K

          Reply
  15. Guys, LCA site showing almost 186K LCA filings between Aug 1-Sep 30th. That is a massive number. Because some of them multiple positions under one LCA. This shit is scary.

    Reply
  16. What exactly is a merit based system ? Does it mean your degree marks will be under the scanner ? Or it will be similar to a L1 visa where the applicant has to go through an interview process and prove your credibility?

    Reply
    • There is no such system in place yet. No one knows what a merit based system is, because it doesn’t exist. Gosh I wish it existed though.

      Reply
    • Confused H1b Aspirant!,

      At the moment a merit based system is nothing more than speculation. Depending upon who you ask, it could smell as bad as fart or as good as perfume.

      Reply
      • @Saurabh

        I understand your pain that traffic to your website will decrease tremendously if this mad rush is stopped by changing the method USCIS allocates the lottery.
        I can clearly see how passionately you are trying to defend/support the lottery.

        Reply
        • What is in the name,

          Lol!!!! You think I make money from this work. I am a volunteer moderator on this site and don’t make even a penny from it.

          How do you know I am against change of lottery criteria? What I said is that I am against silently changing the criteria. If they want to make it merit based – go ahead and do it. But be transparent about it.

          Reply
        • The dude is now defending anything, just stating a simple fact that a merit based system does not exist. Though I personally support such a system, I also agree that it will not happen for a variety of simple and complex reasons.

          Reply
        • What is in the name,
          We do not do this for traffic, name or fame..each of us went through the same pain that many current readers go through. We do this in our spare time to help the community….the whole website, qa section, trackers, etc.. is a community driven platform to help each other…

          Reply
          • @Kumar

            You guys are doing an awesome job and helping a lot of people.

            Don’t waste ur time by replying to these kind of bullshit guys who r just good at only blaming others.

  17. This Year H1B Filing is gonna be 120k-140k.The LCA count is all the LCA count of extensions eager to file before April 3rd due to suspension of Premium processing for the next 6 months.That does not relate with 2018 filing.This year multiple filings from multiple employers are gonna be under scrutiny for lobbying the cap and USCIS wants to the filing to be fair.USCIS makes sure that to prove the elibility of a employee how he/she is eligible for multiple filing.Every filing will be checked for a period of 4-5 months and there will be no lottery.Every Person money will be credited to USCIS and they select the 85,000 cap within next 4-5 months.

    Reply
    • Going through all the 130k-150k applications is a lot of work for them. They would rather scrutinize the 85k applications applications after the lottery. I think there will be a lottery for sure but way less applications this time.

      Goodluck too all my friends.

      Reply
      • In this year’s USCIS news release, there is no mention of lottery. If you check 2016,2015 USCIS news release, lottery was explicitly mentioned. So there is no certainty about lottery this year. It may be lottery/salary/merit.

        Reply
        • H1bAspirant,

          I don’t think they can use merit, salary etc for selection [start of edit] without any prior announcement[end of edit]. That would open them up to several lawsuits.

          Reply
          • why not?
            1) open all applications
            2) charge all fees
            3) sort them by salary\etc
            4) select top 85000
            5) for all applications below line – deny because “no evidences that you cannot hire local for 60-80k salary”

            Application has been considered? Yes. Questions? No.

            it would be fair for all parties:
            USCIS received all fees and more taxes for bigger salaries
            Good employers finally gets employees without lottery
            Bodyshop companies are lose

            Paradise 🙂

          • Bullshit. The court’s decision from last week essentially said that USCIS can do as they see fit. If they think a lottery is the best way, so be it. If they have another system to do the trick – that’s fine by the court. The criteria on which they pick and validate petitions is solely up to them.

          • USCIS can use lottery/salary/merit to allocate visas. The paragraph that talks about lottery is missing in 2017 new release whereas it is clearly mentioned in 2015/2016 news release. This cannot be a coincidence.

            News release of 2016
            USCIS expects to receive more than 65,000 petitions during the first five business days of this year’s program. The agency will monitor the number of petitions received and notify the public when the H-1B cap has been met. If USCIS receives an excess of petitions during the first five business days, the agency will use a computer-generated lottery system to randomly select the number of petitions required to meet the cap. USCIS will reject all unselected petitions that are subject to the cap as well as any petitions received after the cap has closed.

            News release of 2017
            Congress set a cap of 65,000 H-1B visas per fiscal year. An advanced degree exemption from the H-1B cap is available for 20,000 beneficiaries who have earned a U.S. master’s degree or higher. The agency will monitor the number of petitions received and notify the public when the H-1B cap has been met. 

          • Even though the text about lottery is missing, I don’t think too much should be read into it. Anyways, we all would know in couple of weeks what is happening.

      • They don’t go with merit.if merit is the priority only half of the cap I.e.., 40k will be filled.that’s not possible.

        Reply
        • but that’s cool even if only half of cap would be filled! It means that only great professionals are passed! And other professionals can file later. So no need to wait next April to file petition. It’s really great!

          Reply
  18. Is an Executive order from Trump awaited? lot of news sites say and order is imminent and could come any time soon. People referring to LCA, what dates are you trying? I guess everyone is just playing guessing game.

    Reply
    • Most of the LCAs for new petitions are set to start on September 17. LCA start/finish dates are supposed to match with the Visa’s start/finish date as much as possible. That’s why any LCA with a start date of late August and beyond would be for new petitions.

      And where did you see the news about executive order? Could you share the link please?

      Reply
      • With the condition that they can only apply LCA 6 months prior to actual start date , your analysis is right. I predict the count to be between 150 and 180 K.

        Reply
        • what is all this analysis gonna do ?

          At the end its the lottery (unfortunately) which will decide your fate. Although i wish the best for every one but the smart thing will be to start thinking about the backup in case things don’t work out.

          my 2 cents.

          Reply
  19. After doing some analysis it looks like this H1B petitions are going to break the record it set previous year. Last year on 31st March 2016, number of LCA petitions filed were around 214,000(from July 1st to Sept 30 & this excludes most of the transfer petititions count).

    This year on 30th March 2017 the LCA petitions which starting from 1st July, count stands 203,050. We still have 2 more days to go for LCA filing where count is increasing by around 10000 LCA’s every day.

    So this year I won’t be surprised if petitions count to go beyond 250,000.

    Also after analysing multiple LCA’s, around 32000 LCA’s having multiple positions accounts for 285,000 positions. 🙂 🙂 This leaves around 171,000 LCA’s with one position.

    So total number of positions for which LCA’s filed comes around 456,690. Considering not for all the positions petititions get filed. This year we are very well placed to have the H1B petitions count to go beyond 250,000.

    This is my 3rd time trying my luck in H1B lottery and was hoping count to be much less around 170-180K due to Trump factor, but that looks to be incorrect by looking at about stats.

    Reply
      • I am 3rd time applicant and following these threads every year. Last year people posted these count on the forum on 31st March and I am just trying to compare with the same.

        You can go to h1b visa 2017 page and see the comments on 31st March to 1st April and can find out this info.

        Reply
    • Don’t understand why there’re people predict H-1b number using LCA!

      This has been said so many times. LCA has so many purposes and those been filed recently is definitely not for H-1b. This is simply because LCA is an earlier step in H-1b application. There’s no way people file that this week and submit petition next Monday!

      Reply
      • LCA is a starting point, you can not say it’s not an indicator. We can say it’s not accurate but it definitely provide inputs if we compare with previous years trend.

        As per the LCA’s the positions filed for July 1st to 30th Sep 2017 are around 456,690, obviously applications count will be much less than this but it will be definitely greater than last year which is what this LCA trend is suggesting.

        Reply
  20. Hi fellow H1B applicants,

    Third time lottery here with same emplyer, I don’t know if I’m the only one on here who isn’t working in the IT industry, and is British. It’s easy for people to blame outsourcing companies etc, which definitely affect the number of applications, but I really wish congress would rebuild the whole system . As it stands it seems like most applications are from the IT sector, which completely skews the system, as there are many sectors such as the healthcare industry (which I am part of) which the US desperately needs people to come over for. I’m sure that this is true for IT too (otherwise there wouldn’t be so many applicants in that area), but I do wish the system catered for which jobs were needed most, and couldn’t be filled by the local American workforce. Currently IT just swamps the visa system it seems. And the cap of $130k wouldn’t help either in this regard as this number seems suitable for IT, but not other professions, which the salary may normally be lower, but still needs immigrants.

    Easy for me to say this as it clearly would benefit me, and is unlikely to change, but thought I’d finally comment after 3 years of viewing comments.

    Best of luck in the lottery this year everyone!

    Reply
    • Good luck Dr H.
      As for the bill of $130k, it will only affect h1b dependent companies of which your health care company may not be one. We hope it favours everyone. This is my first time for h1b. It looks like I may try the OPT to green card route since my employer is going to file it for me and I am not from either China or India with long waits.

      Reply
        • Sandhya,

          They accept petitions until the cap is reached, or at least 5 business days whichever is later. So this year, they would accept until April 7 (assuming cap is reached in the first week itself).

          Reply
    • Dr H,
      Your comment makes me think again all of the rages I’m going through, and I just realize it’s not worth as it seemed. I only cared about myself, and completely forgot the other people who is not working in IT industry. We’re totally unfair to them, but they are the one we need the most…

      Reply
      • I am MBA from a top US b.school and into strategy consulting and I am struggling to get an H1B. I think what we Indians have done to the system is appalling. If there is enough demand from IT sector and genuine employers in the US are willing to sponsor that many H1Bs, that is still fine. But bending the rule (e.g. IT outsources in India) and breaking the rule (Indians run IT consultancies in the US) is just outrageous. All international students regardless of their sector deserve a chance to find a job and live in the US. But what we Indians have done is unfair to the entire international student community. I am reminded of a quote by Gandhi: There’s enough in this world for everyman’s need but not his greed. I believe if everyone was just trying to get a VISA through fair means that I don’t think anyone of us will be in this position. I think it all boils down to the Indian way of dealing with issues – being oblivious to the harm caused to the ecosystem and focussing only on our selfish interest. “I need a job, I don’t have one but I have money, so I am going to reach out to 7 consultancies and file 7 petitions to somehow make sure I get a VISA”

        Reply
        • Your are clueless .. do u think it’s a problem because of multiple petitions ? Do you even have an idea how much it would cost for 7 petitions?

          The real problem is with big companies who file 50k petitions every year

          Reply
          • My friend, I personally came across someone who filed 7 petitions last year. There are people who are willing to spend obnoxious amounts of money to immigrate into the U.S. I do understand what Indian IT firms are up to which again boils down to my analogy of greed vs. need. Here its the company’s and it’s stakeholders greed that’s pushing them to do so. But I still won’t blame them as much as I do the desi consultancies for 2 reasons. One, companies like Infosys are bending the rule not breaking it whereas desi consultancies are (taking money from H1B applicant for H1B petition is outright wrong; they just function as H1B sponsoring agents). Two, have you been to Huyndai’s factory in Chennai? You’ll find more Koreans there than Indians. You know what I mean.

          • Filing petitions would just cost immigration attorney fee. Fees are cashed only when petition is approved. Do some research before misguiding people.

          • A.I.,

            Little correction – fees are cashed when petition is selected in the lottery. Doesn’t matter whether it is approved or not, checks are still cashed.

          • You are wrong about this “Doesn’t matter whether it is approved or not, checks are still cashed.” Last year a company sponsored h1b, petition was not selected in the lottery to they sent application back with voided checks. Please do some research and then write. The company lawyer sent me a scanned copy of the whole application.

          • A.I.,
            To add to Saurabh, here is the exact statement from USCIS press release last year : “The agency will reject and return filing fees for all unselected cap-subject petitions that are not duplicate filings.” You can read USCIS website press release .

          • A.I.

            Read my statement again – fees are cashed when petition is selected in the lottery.

            The example you cited, the petition was not selected in the lottery and hence no checks were cashed. Once it has been selected in lottery, checks are cashed irrespective of the outcome (approval, denial).

            BTW, why so grumpy with responses and trying to put everyone down, including me?

  21. I hear there will be no lottery this year. We at SAITJ have been following it closely where the lawsuit regarding the lottery went.

    Just because the lottery is deemed legal, it does not mean USCIS is going to implement it, as was evident in the news release.

    I hope all great talent gets to come to my country, instead of dubious and slimy Indian chop shops.

    Reply
  22. hi Admin, do you have any count on LCA’s filed this year with DOL, is it true that some one just said only 172 k filed, if it is 172k what would be the probability? how many petiotions this year?

    Reply
    • For each LCA , there can be multiple H1B petitions. Its not one to one. against 172k LCAs, you can have 2.2 to 2.5 lakh H1B petitions. Looking at the trend, it doesnt look like number of H1s will go down.

      Reply
  23. Here is a comment from a “non-Indian, non-consultancy” immigrant, especially for those who act like they’re “patriots”:

    Who wouldn’t immigrate to a country given the new country has better pay and standards of living? Why blame the immigrant? If the immigrant is making more than at the home country, though lower than the standard in the host country, s/he will immigrate, without considering the impact on locals. Who would consider locals? Are you insane? Don’t you have any empathy skills? Do you consider “others” when you accept jobs?

    Stop blaming those who are trying to come over to the United States via consultancies or big outsourcers. They have a legal, legitimate way of trying. If you think it costs jobs to native born Americans, those who are foreign born are not to blame. It is your own Congress.

    Reply
    • If people are blaming hardworking immigrants, then shame on them. Obviously it is every persons has the right to secure a brighter future for themselves and their family.

      The issue is with legality. When you fake experience, fake an educational degree, abuse a system of hiring that is built on trust with white lies – that is where the issue lies. But individual morality aside, the issue about immigration applies to this as well.

      When you lie to USCIS (as many ‘indian consultancies do’) and tell the end client that you are a GC EAD, or that you have three job offers with different clients, but in reality only one is real – this is an issue. Or when you pay for an H1b application, it becomes an issue.

      This country has issues with illegal immigration, and the examples mentioned above are all to a certain degree, illegal.

      If indians are securing two or more legitimate h1b sponsored jobs, kodus to them! They are the kind of talent that the program was created to bring.

      Reply
    • Thanks dude !!!

      Frustrations resulted in some different way.

      Atleast few are able to understand that everyone should get a chance, for a poor/rich or educated/non-educated.

      Hope the lottery system has coded to filter only the high qualified numbers.

      Reply
  24. Last year LCA count was 272k. (Set the LCA start date as 1 Aug). In comparison to that, this year, it is 172k. So I am just guessing based on the pattern that petition count should be between 130k to 150k.

    Reply
    • There can be a discrepancy since last year’s LCA count also included filings after the H1b deadline ie after April 5th 2016, most of which are extensions, transfers etc. Since we did not come to that time line yet we cannot say that those numbers are constant with this year’s. because people will file after April 7th this year which can increase the overall count during the August start date period. But I hope you are right.

      Reply
    • I estimate the new count will be 150k for this year. I too saw that 172k in DOL site but with LCAs withdraw, denied it will stand at 150k 🙂

      Reply
    • In a way, I feel sorry for all of us. I, myself a second timer at trying my luck with H1B lottery, really hope that there will be no lottery or at least fewer petitions that will improve my chances of making it. I’m from non-stem and this is my last attempt. I continue to remain selective in paying attention to only those news items that says there will be fewer application. But when I pinch myself back to reality I think there’s going to be pretty much the same number of application as last year if not more. I wish all the best to everyone more so to those who will have to leave their job if they don’t make it this time. Believe me, its a very, very difficult spot to be in!

      Reply
      • I really liked your comment. I have nothing negative to say to anyone anymore. But for those who have a good job already in USA (and will have to leave the job without H1B), a car , a kid and a life here should at least get some priority in getting visas issued. I am not saying others shouldn’t try, but give us some priority at least. This is my 4th and last attempt(36 months OPT about to end), will lose my job if I don’t get H1B this time. It breaks my heart but I hope someday for someone this system changes. As for petitions, harsh reality is they will be approx 2.5 lakh .

        Reply
  25. I saw in the one of the prediction pages that till now 195K new petition LCAs have been submitted. Do not know how accurate that is though.

    Reply
      • April 3rd is for actual H1b petitions and not LCAs. In order to apply for H1b one needs an approved LCA. So LCAs are filed mostly in the month of March.

        Reply
        • https://frontsimple.com/posts/h1b-2018-lottery/

          Sadly as per above analysis of new petition LCAs from previous years, we are now standing at around 2.5 lakh petitions. Sad but true, sick of playing this lottery each year.

          Reply
          • I dont think he is using the correct data for his graphs. He should be looking at the LCAs that start after beginning of August 2017 and end of September 2017 for the new petitions. Not to the petitions filed until ie March 21 or so. LCAs of new petitions dont start on March.

    • Its lottery time again. I have never won a lottery not even a f***k**g tombola or musical chairs all my life. May be it will change this time.

      Reply
      • No lottery at this time. All fees from all petitions will be charged, all petitions will be sorted (you know complexity?) and all cheap monkeys will be denied. All happy 🙂

        Reply
        • Dear Monkey,
          You still need to evolve as a human before you can apply for H1B. For you, zoo transfers are the only way to enter america.

          Reply
          • so do all of you, living at india 😉 you don’t even understand that cheap monkeys – you. and I’m just laughing on you 😀

  26. H1 should be given only to people with accredited degrees from american universities. All the Indian IT Body shops should be given only L1 Visas (as per need) and not H1.

    Reply
      • All the universities means a lot specially Indian universities.
        But when it comes to immigration it has to be dealt in a legit way.

        Reply
        • Specially?? I’ve never seen not stupid Indian engineer at my whole career. Even at Microsoft. Especially at Microsoft. Because head of ms is…. And he do everything he can do to bring as much Indians to US as it possible. No matter professional body or not.

          H visa should have quota per company or per country. As green card lottery. H visa doesn’t mean Hindi. And H visa not only for Hindi.

          Enough of Indian “programmer professionals” at IT and US!

          Reply
          • See how frustation can make a person blind. While Indians are busy taking up CEO roles, thus guy says all Indian engineers are stupid..lol

          • You know why CEO are Indians? Because Indians help Indians. So if company has at least 1 Indian – they will be everywhere. And they will push Indian to the top. No matter.

            You know why all world laughing at ms quality? Because Indians creates these shit (including Indian smiles at Skype, OMG).

            So please do not talk me that Indians are smart. That’s not true. But you believe at anything. Facts are the facts.

        • Specially? I’ve never seen even little bit smart Indian software engineer. Even at Microsoft. Especially at Microsoft. Because head is ms make everything to bring all Indians as he can. No matter how smart person. Indian? Come in.

          Screw you. H – not Hindi.

          I wish that Indians should be banned for H visa as for green card lottery. And should wait for GC and citizenship 20+ years

          Reply
          • If u have never seen smart indian, it means you need to explore. We have too many. And pls stop this nonsense. Too much hate i can see. If you hate too much then go back to your country. Xenophobic

          • Xenophobic? No. I just doesn’t like stupid people which get h1 and come here. Or just get h1 and stay at India. Could you just stay at India and don’t spam system with your empty petitions even without project?
            You see – it doesn’t matter, Indian you or not. If you ready to work 24/7 for cheapest salary – you should stay at home country and do the same.

          • I don’t know what’s your beef with Indians bro but lndians and Chinese are the brainiest people on this planet. Infact Chinese are more hardworking people than Indians. And you know why Indians and Chinese people become CEOs because they don’t waste time hating other people just because they r not Indians. And in case you don’t know India is not just about Hindi its a mix of more than 100 cultures and languages.

            Coming back to the point this H1 Visa crisis is also because of Indians because they are exploiting it and that needs to be changed.

  27. All these haters are actually indian prics who went to US on f1 and after completing masters they dont have job and life and sole thing they do is they sit on internet and cry on people who really struggling hard in india/MNC and qualified to work in US.

    Reply
    • Struggling hard? hahaha I wonder why. Maybe because you studied at some worthless college and are slaving for 20-30k INR at some outsourcing MNC. And “Qualified?” … Hahaha come on man.
      I cant wait for Trump to prioritize American workers and give a blow to all these IT companies that think they can keep abusing the system.

      Reply
    • ohhh really? So i went to a top school here in USA. Had 4 job offers upon graduation and now working for Google. I didn’t get H1B in 3 consecutive attempts (Yes bad luck and the fact that WITCH’s are clogging the system). And you say we are not qualified ? I agree some fall under the category of masters from cheap colleges , no jobs , consultancies etc. But PLS DO NOT generalize everyone. I am done complaining about how unfair the system is for people like me, life is not fair now is it?

      Reply
      • After completing my graduation in India I got placed in top product based company and later was moved to USA based on my skills and patents I filed. I am highly paid and have multiple patents in my field of work.
        From last 4 years, my company is filing h1b and never got selected in the lottery due to the high volume of petitions from WITCHes. Despite having approved i140 now I am moving to Canada in 3 weeks because was never able to move to h1b and my current L1B is expiring in 3 weeks.
        My company works with WITCHes and outsource some legacy work to them frequently and I have dealt with so many of them over last few years and I must say most of them have no clue what they are doing. Things which should take few hours to be completed are done by them in weeks and that too with poor quality. They simply do not want to work hard or build their skills.

        Reply
    • Some deserve H1B more than others but what decides it is very subjective. People have their reasons and I wish good luck to everyone. The problem is when people think the visa is answer to all their problems.

      Reply
  28. What ever it may be. Bodyshop or WITCH, in your terms. These companies are not sending Trainees or the people who do not know anything.
    Atleast we know something that you guys do not know, and that is needed for the Client these WITCH/bodyshop has.

    Let the US do the filtering based on merit or whatever it may be..we will never blame anyone for not getting Visa.

    Please try to avoid blaming/barking at others.

    Let the Govt prove who is eligible.

    Thanks !!!

    Reply
  29. What a joke of my life? I am still waiting my status to move from “Case Was Received” to something … but fortunately or unfortunately it is same as “Case Was Received” from 13-April-2016. My gosh , I cant believe it …

    How patient I am .. but I am. I had seen many people, my teammates Petition Approved, Stamped, Traveled and got 3 months USA pay stub as well ?

    But I fed up checking status everyday 4-5 times and checking weekly once these days .. and today too “Received” ? I am not sure should I cry or laugh ?

    But I am Happy ?

    Reply
  30. Hi,

    I have H1b visa stamped and now my employer is filing an ammendment, Is the premium processing suspended for ammendments as well? how long will it take for an ammendment under regular processing?

    Reply
    • Indian corporation pays record $34 million fine to settle allegations of systemic visa fraud and abuse of immigration processes

      https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/indian-corporation-pays-record-34-million-fine-settle-allegations-systemic-visa-fraud

      Infosys Ltd, India’s second largest software services firm, is set to be hit with a record $35 million fine on Wednesday by the US government on allegations of visa misuse, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people who it didn’t name, even as the company said it was working with the US government to resolve the issue.

      The violations pertain to using employees on business visas (or so-called B1 visas) to do work typically done by engineers on long-term work visas (also called H-1B visas).

      Reply
          • Yeah Mann…. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION by WITCH guys.

            Sending CHEAP Labour & Doing BODY Shopping.

            Bloody Body Shoppers (Wipro,Infosys,TCS,CTS & HCL).

            The violations pertain to using employees on business visas (or so-called B1 visas) to do work typically done by engineers on long-term work visas (also called H-1B visas).

            The investigation, conducted by the department of homeland security and the US state department, found that the company used visitor B1 visas instead of the mandated H-1B visas for longer business visits, to bring an unknown number of its employees for long-term visits.

          • YES Man, That’s Gold news not old news.

            Because so many don’t know about the Visa Abuse of this Companies – Wipro,INFOSYS,TCS,CTS,HCL, Capige mini , Acenture.

            So called WITCHs in Immigration System.

            @Stopit stupid – Thatswhy Fool like you waiting in India for Labor Visa.

          • YES Stopping Fools like you coming from Body shopping Agents.

            Keep ur Stupid tml in ur pocket, i don’t know what ur talking abot

        • Do you Know how damage those guys are doing to American Economy & American Jobs.

          Sending cheap labors on B1

          Surely these WITCH guys will get a Blow from Current TRUMP Administration

          Reply
        • What stop it ???

          You guys studying in some Jaffa College or get any University degree

          Get into some IT Company like Wipro,Infosys,TCS,CTS &…..

          Easily fly to US as a Body Shopper

          STRICT & STRINGENT Actions’s should be taken by the US Government.

          WITCH Companies should be Banned from filing US Visas, As they always do systemic Fraud and abuse of US immigration.

          Earning millions in the Systematic VISA FRaud… WITCH should be Banned from filing.

          Reply
  31. https://www.google.com/amp/www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/25/bay-area-tech-executives-indicted-for-h-1b-visa-fraud/amp/

    Dont try in fraudulent way. Try only in genuine way.
    All the best.

    Reply
    • Infosys committed “systemic visa fraud and abuse of immigration processes,” John Bales, the U.S. attorney for the district, said in a complaint filed yesterday with the settlement.

      Infosys will pay $5 million to U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, $5 million to the State Department and $24 million to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, according to a filing yesterday in federal court in Sherman, Texas. Infosys, which denied the government’s substantive allegations, admitted it violated record-keeping requirements, according to the filing.

      Reply
    • Thanks for sharing the info, unfortunately this is just a court decision, as Hanuman said, and nothing has been officially posted by USCIS. It is too early to say we “have to” go through lottery process.

      Reply
  32. I guess my only wish would be to prioritize people who:
    1. studied in US
    2. Worked in US before.

    There is too much randomness currently. This is my 6th (!!) year of living in US. And I am still on an (expired) F1 STEM OPT. With slim chances of getting H1B.

    Feels a bit unfair.

    Reply
    • Another self centric cynical person on this thread. 6 years is enough. Come back to your country and help it progress.

      Reply
      • You have to fight for your place under the sun. It is not up to you to decide what is enough and what’s not. With that attitude, I really hope you are not applying. Leave America for the open-minded.

        Reply
    • Arey voh Kosta guy, Come to India and Do some Bajji or Bonda Business..or otherwise Punugullu will be tasty with palli chutney. Your a Criminal with expired Visa, there is no need for your american degree or petrol bunk experience for IT companies. WITCH guys are Watching..Be careful… Urs PK

      Reply
      • You don’t know what you are talking about. You can work with an expired visa, you cannot travel. Brighten up before commenting nonsense.

        Reply
        • come to India Dude.. We will Rock here, Why on EXpred Visa

          Anyway yo can work on expred visa ILLEGALLY.. as ur saying

          But wen you got CATCH…You get DEported and Never get visa to ANY COUNTRY.

          Reply
  33. Expect an executive order on h1b in coming weeks

    http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-said-to-regret-agreeing-to-push-health-care-before-tax-reform-executive-order-on-h1b-visas-may-come-soon-2017-03-24

    Reply
    • Please share your expected Executive order, We will forward to Trump Administration. Don’t do scare mongering in the name of new rules or Executive Orders… expect the same for you as well… Nothing Special 4 U ?

      Reply
  34. What about TCS and Infosys guys. I am in TCS and dont see anything happening around on H1B front. Also, I was told a lot of approved H1B candidates have still not gone to US. Is that true?

    Reply
    • So you sit there with approved H1Bs to not come here, while we have good jobs here that we will lose without H1B, interesting.

      Reply
      • The top 4 Indian outsourcing companies as per my estimate, account anywhere between 50-70% of total H1B’s issued in the last 5 years.

        Reply
    • TCS is filing only 15% of what they filed last year. Last year , they filed 13134 H1B Petitions. SO they will file around 2000 H1B Petitions this year.

      Reply
        • Good For Your Company and for others as well. Companies like Infosys should BAN from applying work visas. They are misusing the Law & Immigration. Total Exploitation of the System by Sending CHEAP Labor 2 US… Sirf Body Shopping Dandha

          Reply
        • Good, It should increase from 13,000 to 30,000 so that you guys are permanently banned from applying in the future and abusing the system by monopolizing to such an extent

          Reply
          • It won’t increase to 30k. It will increase to around 17k. Don’t worry we will not get banned. And trust me your frustration level would increase. 😀

        • The most interesting fact will be the final approved(lottery and stamping) numbers from these companies. Hoping there will be a filtering step before lottery.

          Reply
          • Hope and pray coz that’s what we all can do. You can pray for us that we should be filtered out whereas we would pray that our visas get stamped soon. Praying for the thing which would negatively affect any individual. That’s what we indians are taught and usually do. Am I right?

  35. Wow, the LCA’s are being filed at the rate of 10K everyday. All that talk about restrictions on H1B has no effect what so ever on the numbers

    Reply
        • This link only has counts for FY2017. This years H1B would fall under fiscal year 2018 (FY2018) so the LCA count is not for this year. I know its misleading but in 2017, you do H1 for FY2018

          Reply
          • Yes but LCA will be filed in 2017 for 2018 cap. But if you don’t trust me check the count tomorrow and it will change. Approx 45-50% of the final count will end up as new H1b applications for 2018 cap as this also includes renewals and transfers.

      • Any LCA’s filed now cannot be for new H1B petition. LCA approval takes minimum 7 days. After LCA approval, attorney has to prepare the H1B petition. Given that petitions will be accepted from 3rd april, there is hardly any time left for preparing a new H1b petition.

        Reply
    • What start date range are you looking at? LCAs for new petitions started to be filed only after March 1st and most of them have start date 180 days beyond the submission date so most of them falls to September 17. I know very well that my LCA starts on Sep. So I think we should be looking at the start date range of late August and further.

      Reply
    • That is because people are filing all sorts of LCAs (new, transfer, extension) in a hurry because of the PP suspension. They do not want to wait and miss the April 3 deadline for ext. and transfers for PP. Not all are new LCAs.

      Reply
      • That’s true and LCA filing can start only 6 month in advance for legal reasons. So anything that was filed prior to March 1st is not a new petition. The only unkown is the LCA start date and looks like they usually requested to be started 180 days from the submission date. So on the icert website, I think we should be looking at certification start dates starting from August or so.

        Reply
  36. Hi,
    What about IBM. They asked docs to file. I got approved LCA also. But not sure whether they will file or not. What is the prediction of IBM. Howmany last year they applied. My bad luck last year mine didn’t picked in lottery. I have 6yrs of exp in IBM.

    Reply
  37. http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/indian-techies-need-not-worry-about-h1b-visa-curbs-in-us-sushma-swaraj-1672674

    “Currently there are four bills in the US Congress about curbs on H1B visas. We are engaged (in a dialogue) with the US at very high level regarding this… We are making all efforts (through diplomatic channels) to ensure these bills are not passed,” Ms Swaraj said in the Rajya Sabha.

    SHAME on your Indians!! H-1b is America’s Visa for America’s best interests. It is non of your business of what bills getting through US Congress and how they like to shape the Visa program. Your Minister said something like this in public is unbelievably embarrassing.

    Reply
    • Amen ! These visas were to grow our American economy, and not ship in cheap labor, and kill our jobs.

      But its a two way street, why is CIS still approving visas from TCS, Wipro, Infosys etc ? Our govt does not bother at all.

      Hope my president Trump does #MAGA

      Reply
      • The blessing from god is currently not falling on America, the interest of the nation is not in the hand of an individual but with people of the nation, periodically US is know for adopting cross culture talent from the world and grown with it, now a new kind of protectionism was planted in the heart of US people which is nothing but a loss to its own people/country

        May god properly bless America once again!!!

        Reply
      • Go to hell you fake USAPatriot…

        Ur President… LOL

        I wish you have some other job to do …. other than jus commenting that you are a responsible US citizen…

        Which citizen opens this redbus portal and comments on Indians opinions

        Data: % of comments from Indians/visits to this website is 99.999999%

        Stop all this chutiya kaam & check with your consultants whom you paid money to process ur H1B…

        You looser

        Reply
        • “Stop all this chutiya kaam & check with your consultants whom you paid money to process ur H1B…”

          I figured out that the above is not decent language, maybe others can attest. Its scumbags like you exactly who I dont want to come into this country..

          My president will definitely deal with you in the right way #MAGA.. PrezTrump Rules..

          If you have some time to spare check the recent announcements the CIS made.. Happy Worrying !!

          Reply
  38. Hi Friends,

    I knew that I am posting in a irelevant thread, But it’s quite urgent
    Need some info regarding the H4 EAD

    I applied for H4 EAD on concurrent process, but failed to attach my photographs with the petition.
    Since the case still shows as received, Can I send the photos now (or) should I wait till they review it and send the RFE.

    Kindly advise.,

    Reply

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