Home » US Immigration - Visas » H1B Visa » H1B 2016 – After Lottery – Premium, Regular Processing Receipts, Time
H1B 2016 Premium and Regular Processing Recipts and Time

H1B 2016 – After Lottery – Premium, Regular Processing Receipts, Time

| by | 2,359 Comments

As I read the comments on our H1B Visa 2016 page, I can empathize what all emotions everyone are going through…some happy to be picked in lottery, some anxiously waiting for the result, some frustrated with the wait…some upset with the overall system and how it is abused… some swearing at others as they abused the system…when someone posts a comment telling that they have received the case number, the anxiousness or pressure among the ones waiting goes up by a big factor…Let me shed some light on the reality on the premium processing and regular processing times from a historical standpoint, so that all of you have a realistic expectations.

Let’s be realistic about results of H1B Lottery?  About 2 in 3 H1B petitions would be rejected !

I can imagine all the pain everyone has to go through, but let’s be realistic folks…Unfortunately, H1B is a lottery and only 85,000 petitions are selected from 233,000 petitions received for H1B 2016 quota.  Not being too picky on the precise probability…Just about 1 in every 3 H1B applications will be selected in the lottery process. It is very harsh on many who have spent thousands of dollars studying in US and on many who have been working at MNC companies waiting for years to get an opportunity to work in US, including many others like H4 holders who have found a job, sponsor and waiting to work…but unfortunately, it is the truth and reality…so, do not get disappointed with the results, it has nothing to do with your talent or hard work! It is pure gamble and luck…Not getting in H1B lottery is not the end of the world, stay positive…if you get it, great…if not, maybe there are better things that are coming for you in life ! Anyways, enough of the lecture 🙂 …

Keep the above truth in context and read below…

H1B 2016 Premium processing time – Case Receipts, Typical steps.

USCIS originally mentioned that the premium processing for FY 2016 applications will start no later than May 11th, later they issued a news alert that the H1B 2016 premium processing will start from April 27th.   Some of our readers are receiving the case receipts for the premium processing applications. You can check the status of selected petitions in our H1B Visa Case Tracker ….But, if you have not received your case receipt yet, you do NOT need to be in panic…You still have a week or so to get the premium processing receipts.

Usually for premium processing, the employer/ immigration attorney will get an email from USCIS informing about your H1B case with the receipt number. You can use that receipt number to track the status at USCIS site .  Ideally, all the receipts of selected H1B petitions should flow in on or before April 27th, or at least by 30th of April. Having said that, sometimes they may keep coming in the first few days of May too. What USCIS has promised is that the 15 calendar day premium processing SLA or Clock starts from April 27th. What it means is that the premium processing petitions have to be adjudicated by May 11th ( 15 calendar days from April 27th ). Also, one catch is that, if say your petition ends up in an RFE ( Request for evidence) while the adjudication of the petition, this will halt the premium processing clock for your petition and will restart after the RFE response is submitted by employer.

All in all, what I trying to articulate is that, just do not get nervous or more anxious when someone posts a comment that they have got the receipt and you have not. The lottery is done, if you were selected, you will get it…nothing will change that…stay positive!

H1B 2016 Regular Processing Time –Case Receipts, next steps

Typically, H1B petitions filed under regular processing do not have any mandatory SLA from USCIS, unlike in premium processing. They can take their own time based on their work load.  This is one of the most frustrating things many regular processing folks experience as they have to wait a lot of time… Anyways, if your regular processing petition was selected in lottery, your employer/ attorney would get the H1B case receipt notice in traditional postal mail from the USCIS. There will NOT be any email receipt notice. You as an employee needs to be in close touch with your employer/ attorney to know the status of your case.  If you were selected and your employer received the H1B receipt notice, the receipt notice will have the case number, which can be used on the USCIS website to check the status of your case.

As there is NO fixed SLA for the processing of the regular processing petitions, the receipts keep coming in sporadically from USCIS. Typically they would start to arrive from about 2 weeks from lottery date all the way till end of May or maybe even in early June for some cases. Again, this can be very frustrating to keep waiting on this receipts, but there is no choice.

Once you have the receipt number of your regular processing petition, you may upgrade it to  premium processing to get the adjudication done in 15 days…but, unfortunately, now you cannot upgrade the case now…you will have to wait for the receipt number to arrive in mail to take any further action like upgrade to premium processing…!

When you see a comment or status on our H1B tracker that regular processing petition case number received, do not panic and get worried about your case… You just need to wait for couple of months to conclude your luck…Over the years, I have seen the frustration of applicants and can empathize the pain that regular processing applicants go through…it is very tough ! All I can say is, stay calm and keep doing your day to day stuff, do NOT stress yourself.

Tracking your H1B Visa Application Case

We have created the H1B Visa Case Tracker with the goal that everyone can see the status of many people like you and have an approximation on timelines. Instead of adding status comments on blog, I request all of you to add your case and keep the status up to date on the H1B Visa Case Tracker as your case status changes…We will try to enhance, for more options..

Have you applied for H1B last year ? Any words of wisdom for new H1B filing candidates ?  Share your thoughts.

Photo of author
Satheesh Kumar Ilu, commonly known as Kumar, is the founder of RedBus2US.com. He is an Immigration and Study Abroad expert. He holds an MS from the University of Houston–Clear Lake and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. He studied, lived, and worked in the U.S. and Singapore for nearly two decades, and has traveled to over 25 countries.

   

Other Articles

2,359 Comments

  1. Friends don’t lose hope!

    I almost lost all my hope this week as people keep reporting they got selected while I have nothing in news box.

    Until this evening, when I finally decided to ask my employer about whether the check is cashed, I still expect nothing.

    And then, my employer showed me a I-797c form.

    I almost burst into tears.

    I know it is nervous for non-pp people right now. Just don’t lose hope. God gives you surprise when you are least prepared. Keep it up!

    Good luck to all good people here. This website helped me a lot.

    Reply

  2. Hi Friends,

    Please don’t worry about your SEVIS status. I called SEVIS and school to check my status. They told me the status is active. But I got the receipt number from my attorney tonight.

    My case: AD/RP/VT

    Received date: 4/13/2015
    Notice date: 4/20/2015

    Don’t give up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

  3. I have only one application and fragomen is the attorney. Non pp, ADV and VSC. Now no news from Fragomen for non pp in my company. They did send email to ppl who filed with pp and got selected. I don’t understand why there is no news for non pp till now.

    Reply

  4. I’m AD/RP/VT.

    My friends and colleagues have started receiving receipts while I haven’t yet received anything.
    Do I still have a chance? Till what date can I expect to see some activity before calling it quits?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  5. I have a question: USCIS only cashes your checks when you are selected, right? If you’re not selected, USCIS will return the whole package to you with original check, right?

    Reply

  6. Hi All,
    Congrats to all who have got good news, rip and condolence to the unfortunates.
    Have a word for the poor guys. This does not mean the end of the world, each and everyone of us has gone all out. We tried our best. If you think it still deserves one more try, go ahead and find a alternative (there is always one). If you decide that is enough for you, pack you stuff and explore a new territory. Maybe it is the best thing ever happened to you.
    For myself, I am determinded to go for a second run. No mater what is going be the result, it is my choice.

    Reply

  7. I heard at 1 p.m. (American EST) that I was picked in the lottery. I’m AD (doctorate)/Regular Processing/California.

    This is my second lottery: I had to return to my home country (not India) last year after my OPT expired and I was not picked in the 2015 Fiscal Year H1B lottery.

    I’m going to go out for dinner now to celebrate. I am definitely in a good place as it is, but being able to return to the U.S. for now will make life much easier in terms of practicing my profession (and I won’t deny that I do like money).

    Lucky day, I suppose.

    Reply

    • I do not think so , I think there is still hope for AD/PP.My wife is also AD/PP and one of her colleagues received her receipt today , so lets cross our fingers and pray for each other . I think we have hope till mid next week.

      Reply

      • R sure there is some hope? What was date on the receipt? Can we still hope if there are any chances after 27th April?

        Reply

        • I am not sure about the receipt date but her company HR said on 22 nd April that they are receiving receipts on a rolling basis . They are not holding back the receipt notices with them and sending it to the individual as and when they are receiving it. So lets pray and hope for the best .

          Reply

          • Ask your H.R if checks are cashed or not.
            I was told that mine was not cashed yet. So I gave up..

          • Looks like if we dont get anything by monday or max tuesday, we can be sure of not getting thru lottery i guess 🙁 this wait is killing!! and yes, horrible immigration system!!

  10. I checked with DSO she said My sevis updated on 22nd April saying “Status Pending”.

    I heard this trick works only whose OPT expires before sept or October. Mine expires in December 2015. I haven’t heard anything from my lawyer or employer.

    I am just being impatient. I don’t know what to go with.
    I just did one application with regular processing .

    Thank you in advance

    Reply

  11. I just got an update from my consultant that my case picked in lottery, received the receipt too. However, I have been advised to wait for approval. Am curious on know what is the approval process means ? Can someone explain on further steps briefly ?

    Reply

  12. AD/PP/Vermont

    I spent around 30k $ for my masters and my OPT is going to expire this June. I’m working in good company with good pay. Still I didnt hear anything from USCIS. After paying these much money as taxes, this is the justice you are giving. Great!!
    Anyway I’m going to loose my job and my manager asking me to Resign on June as I didn’t get picked in lottery!!
    All 4 years effort and struggle went to Vain!!
    Great Immigration system 🙁
    God Bless!!

    Reply

  13. Hi everybody,

    I am Non AD/PP. My employer and lawyer didnt receive anything yet 🙁
    I am wondering if I can apply for a student visa (F1) with an online master? Is that possible?
    Thank you for your help!

    Reply

      • Thank you AD.

        I cant stop thinking of Plan-B as some already received their paquets back 🙁

        Just in case, is it possible to apply for a F1 through an Online Master? and Apply again for H1 next year?

        Reply

        • Hi StillWaiting,

          As far as I know, as an international student you cannot do a degree completely online. You can take a few courses online as part of your degree, but it cannot be exclusively distance learning.

          I wish you all the best. I feel your pain bc I am PP and have not heard anything back… Good luck!

          Reply

  14. My friend told me to apply through several company to get a better chance. I applied according to him. But RFE for that?

    Reply

    • this cant be true, there has to be a limit the number of application you are filing. anytime if it goes beyond 3 and all of them get picked up then you COULD have trouble but not necessarily. if you have been picked up for more than 2 employers then surely a trouble but wait for RFE , you never know what RFE is for.. client letter or doc missing. but dont see a reason for multiple filing with different emp to be issue, we care discussing the same in this forum

      Reply

  17. Got Lucky 😀 My second attempt.
    Applied at Vermont/AD(masters)/Regular Processing ….. Single application … lawyer got the receipt today.. so happy!

    Reply

  18. I just received my receipt!

    AD (doctorate) /Regular Processing/California

    This was my second H1-B lottery and I applied from abroad since I had to return to my home country (not India) after not being selected in the lottery last year and having completed my OPT.

    Good luck everyone!

    Reply

  19. Seems AD/RP receipt notifications from CSC are as slow as slow can be. Did anyone here get receipts from California center?

    Reply

  21. Just got an update from my employer- my check got cashed!
    AD/RP/Vermont
    It was my second time.

    Good luck to everyone who is still waiting… Don’t lose hope!

    Reply

    • Did you check your SEVIS status? Could you please let me know? Because my petition was picked…Came to know through check cashing(AD/RP/VT). But my SEVIS is not updated yet

      Reply

      • Not yet…. I tried calling my school’s international student center bu no one was picking up. I will try again later.

        Reply

    • @allbeauty, What time did your check get en cashed? When did you receive the notification from your employer. I am AD/PP. My lawer still hasnt heard from USCIS. 🙁

      Reply

  22. I just received my receipt this morning !! I am masters student on regular processing quota! A couple of my friends with regular processing have also started receiving case receipt numbers !

    Reply

  24. Hi All,

    Just received an update from my consultant that they have received 4 receipts for AD/MS/Reg candidates. Still waiting for mine. Non-Ad/Reg case.

    Thanks

    Reply

  25. So, the checks attached to the application were cashed and I found out the confirmation number checking the scan of one of the checks. Does this mean that I made it through the lottery? Really? Can I start celebrating?

    Reply

  26. Can anyone please confirm on getting lottery picked in the regular processing for 2016 ? Not heard yet from attorney ? Can I still expect to get picked ?

    Reply

    • I dont think so there is anymore hope left. This was my 2nd year I filed just single peitition and didnt get anything….. 🙁

      Reply

      • jus 1 petition for me too! 🙁 all these stupid tcs’ers and infy ppl get the bulk of the visas..and im sure lot of ppl dont even use it, atleast immediately. this is so unfair to ppl who study here and pay fees and tax for these many yrs and get Bs in return at the end..

        Reply

        • They and the consultants who take money to file are a corrosive influence. They hurt the really bright non IT folks and being down the general impression of Indians in the States

          I was in the same situation in 2007 when after graduating from possibly the #1 school in the country couldn’t join my employer since the first lottery took place then. They had multiple offices globally so I eventually joined them and have worked in several countries since then. But the bitter experience remains.

          Hope you get yours.

          Reply

        • You soent money and pay taxes doesnt make u auto eligible.. U do that to earn more money in return.. If we expect same whats ur prbm.. And plus u got 20k reserved .. Dont blame others for ur hard luck.. And no IT firm gets in bulk.. Its ussis lottery and not written by tcs or others.. May be ur some senior who hates u ..

          Reply

          • I had been listening to many jerks for quite a long time now giving reasons for their “auto eligibility” to get H1B just because they did advanced studies in US.Who asked you in 1st place to go to US and study selling your farms,houses and putting your entire family under huge debts?????You dont have universities in your country or you belong to some 3rd world native?.YOu came to US as student for studies and had quite a good time.There was no clause attached to your educational degree that you will be awarded H1B upon completion of your studies.Today H1B and down the line you will claim citizenship citing reasons like paying huge taxes and all.US doesn’t belong to your father and stay in your limits.Be it Infy,TCS,Wipro,GE,Huawei,MS,Google,Oracle……these companies have eligible candidates which they sponsor,they are not taking money from you and not stopping you to participate in H1B process.Its like you arrange for a sport event and you expect yourself to win since you are the co-ordinator.Speak sensibly and show some maturity else go back to your place.People like you pour their frustration on others.Think with positive mind without accusing others and God may help you.

  28. Hi, I called my school and they told me that I have a status pending. Does this mean that I get selected for certain? According to my employer, nothing received yet.

    Thanks for your input in advance!

    Reply

    • if the accounts that regular processing candidates received their receipt notices are legit. Sorry to say it. The USCIS prioritize premium accounts, so they would not process regular account until all premium ones are done.

      Reply

  31. I am AD/PP/VT, already picked. USCIS says it will adjudicate a picked case within 15 calendar days of the “recieved date”. Does that mean a petition picked on April 20th, should expect an approval (or RFE) notice by May 5th?

    Reply

  33. My employer has filed for premium processing of my petition. If they don’t hear from USCIS by April 27, would it mean that my petition hasn’t been picked in the lottery?

    After April 27, would USCIS start processing the applications that were picked or would they still send out reciepts for 2 weeks?

    Reply

  36. Good morning folks. I realize that USCIS started cashing checks for AD/RP/VSC. How long would one wait before giving up the hope?

    Reply

  37. Hello,

    Mech engg with one petetion working in core company.
    Advance degree/ REGULAR PROCESSING i called my univesity and confirmed my visa status. DSO office mentioned.

    “Change of status Pending” Updated on April 22 2015″

    I am waiting official confirmation from my lawyer. But as per my understanding i got picked in the lottery.

    Regular processing has already started.

    Reply

  39. Hello all,

    Any updates on Non-AD-Regular processing from Vermount service center..?
    Live for your dreams and Hope for the best.

    Reply

  44. Dear All,
    Om Ganeshaya Namaha……!
    I would pray for all of you who has genuinely filed one application.
    this is Fifth time i am applying, 2 times L1 Denied, two Times H1b Lottery Not Picked.
    I am confident about this time, Please pray for me,
    Non-AD, Non-PP, WAC i believe.

    Thanks, wishing you all good luck

    Reply

  45. Anyone filed thru experis from india in RP? How long do they take to update once lottery is cleared? Also do they inform about check enchashment itself

    Reply

  46. Myself n my gf tried student visa in 2011 she got her visa and my visa was refused 4 times inspite of having admission from prestigious universities i have good job in India now I filed h1 this yr but if I get mu application picked only she will accept else no and I don’t trust my luck it didn’t favour me since my childhood I am leaving this forum all the best to rest of the guys hope ur application gets picked

    Reply

    • No one wants to hear your life history and no one cares. And how exactly did you manage to admission to prestigious universities if you can’t spell worth a damn

      Reply

      • Stupid respect others feelings u don’t have the right to comment others if u don’t want to listen ignore. Typo errors doesn’t mean he/she is not fit to get admission in top universities please maintain some decency

        Reply

      • I pity you u can’t frame a sentence properly and you are commenting others ” how did you manage to admission” grow up bro

        Reply

      • Mr John there is lot of difference between u and no one how can u tell that no one wants to hear and no one cares may be he want to tell us how desperate he was and he wishes everyone good luck in this forum and he didnt even scold u control urself and think twice before u comment . I observe everyone in this forum are desperate but ur words seem that ur just passing time and making comments please make this forum useful for h1 aspirants in getting the updates lastly I am sorry if my words hurt u

        Reply

  47. This story is to cheer up all who think luck is cheating on them: I was born in the US, but as my father was a diplomat (an ethical one), i didn’t get US citizenship. People come here illegally, have kids, and those kids are citizens. But legal diplomats, no.

    So I came to study and applied for opt, had a hell of a hard time finding an emplouer who would sponsor, and now… no news still. Lools like this country just doesn’t want me here.

    So, I’ll just move on. If you take all the trouble and the girl doesn’t pay attention to you, she isn’t worth it…

    AD/RP/VSC
    Still no news.

    I hope all you honest guys out there get it.

    Reply

    • I’m in total agreement with you. But it’s too early to lose all your hope being in regular processing quota. Premium processing is just closing out and you have lots of time left.

      I’m a AD/RP/CSC

      Reply

      • Same boat here AD/RP/WAC.
        My employer has heard of some other candidate’s RP cases being picked, and my DSO refuses to check my cap-gap status; it’s hard not to lose hope. Let’s all hang in there though – It all comes down to dumb luck with this poorly designed lottery system, but there isn’t much else we can do: we earned the degrees and fought for job offers, we worked hard and did the best we could.

        Reply

Leave a Comment