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H1B Visa 2015 – Frequently Asked Questions – Updates

Updated : Dec 9, 2014 (H1B 2016 FAQs )

H1B Visa 2015 season is over. Check below for H1B Visa 2016 Season.

Applying for H1B Visa 2016 ? Did you miss FY 2015 lottery ?

Check out -> H1B Visa 2016 – Start Info, Sponsos, Fees, News , FAQs 

Flash News Update  : 

  • May 5th : USCIS announced today that data entry of all FY15 H-1B cap petitions has been completed. USCIS will now begin returning all H-1B cap petitions that were not selected in the lottery. They have announced it on their twitter and facebook pages.
  • April 18th : USCIS announced that they will begin H1B FY 2015 premium processing from April 28th, 2014. Previously they announced that they will begin, ‘no later than April 28th’. They just clarified that. You can read on USCIS website  
  • April 11th : USCIS announced that it received about 172,500 petitions for the H1B Visa 2015 Quota. Read USCIS : 172,500 Received – H1B Lottery Summary 
  • April 7th USCIS H1B Visa 2015 Cap Reached on April 7th. 

H1B Visa 2015 – Latest News Updates , Articles 

Looking for H1B Cap Daily Updates ?  Check  H1B Visa 2015 Cap count Updates Page 

Frequently Asked Questions about H1B Visa FY 2015 

When will H1B Visa 2015 Season Begin ?

USCIS accepted H1B Visa 2015 applications from April 1st, 2014. They had the window open for 5 working days. USCIS stopped accepting H1B Petitions for FY 2015 from Monday April 7th as more applications were received than the required cap of 85,000 petitions.

What would be the Cap count for H1B Visa 2015 quota ?

No changes to the H1B Cap for FY15, the immigration reform discussions did not go through, the cap limit remained same as last year.

  • Regular H1B Quota : 65,000
  • Masters H1B Quota : 20,000
  • It is to be noted that 6,800 visas every year are set aside for Singapore and Chile Free trade agreement filings, which is called as H1B1 program.

Would there be lottery for H1B Visa 2015 ?

We had H1B visa Lottery for fiscal year 2014. USCIS received about 172,500 petitions for FY 2015 . Our predictions were right, you can read the article H1B Visa 2015 Lottery Prediction analysis 

How soon should I start planning for H1B Visa 2015 ?

[ Updated : H1B Sesaon is over for FY 15, plan for next year FY 2016 ] Well, there is nothing like too early… Getting a good H1B Sponsor can be a challenge these days. You need to find a job that fits your profile and find a sponsor that has a job for you.  Some employers want to test out the capabilities of the candidate before they plan to sponsor H1B Visa. Typically, they would like students with masters from US work for them on internship or co-op.  If they like the candidate then they will sponsor H1B visa.  If you are planning to land in US from overseas countries like India, it could be even challenging to find a good sponsor. Maybe you would need to work with global IT services companies and make your way up. It can involve lot of internal process to get the process initiated… You are never early…. Read Step by Step Plan to Apply for H1B 2015 

How do I find Sponsors for H1B visa 2015 ?

This is probably the most asked question.  It can be a challenge to find a good sponsor. We have written quite a few articles on this topic. The fundamental concept of finding a good employer does not change.  You can use our H1B Visa Sponsors Database  and search for sponsors in a city or zip code. Check out the above links under 2015 latest news and updates for the current year’s article to find sponsors. You can also, read our last year’s article :  How to find H1B Visa sponsors, avoid fraud 

What would be the H1B Filing fee for Fiscal year 2015 ? 

There has not been any changes in the filing fee for the past couple of years. It did not change for fiscal year 2014.  The  H1B Visa 2015 filing fee can range anywhere from  $1,575 to $4,325  based on the size of the company (number of employees ). Also, the attorney fee can range from $700 to $3000. If you go for premium processing again that is $1225.  You can check out the detail break up of fee at : H1B Visa Filing Fee Details – Who Pays for What ?  

H1B Visa Immigration Reform – CIR – Proposed Changes ? The comprehensive immigration reform has not passed yet.  But, lets say, if it gets passed, the below changes may happen.

  • Annual H1B Cap will be increased from 65,000 per year to 110,000. If exteme demand, it can go up to a maximum of 180,000.
  • The H1B quota for STEM degree holders from American Schools will increase from 20,000 to 25,000
  • H1B Visa fees can up to USD $10,000.
  • More stringent rules on H1B visa adjudication.
  • Mandatory LCA posting on DOL website for at least 30 days, before it is certified.

You can read Summary of CIR – Immigration reform – H1B Visa and Green Card  . We will keep you posted with updates on CIR and H1B visa changes for this year, if any. Did I miss anything ?  Do you have any other questions ?

Note :  Some of the below comments about H1B Sponsors are negative.  Please be aware that these are comments added by individuals of companies, competitors and many others that may hate such companies. We do NOT vouch for any of the comments made as they are not made by us.

Under federal law (Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act), our Blog RedBus2US.com is NOT legally liable or responsible for information posted by public, general users or third parties that contains remarks that are defamatory for a company or individual.

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.

   

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23,888 Comments

  1. Does any body from companies like INFI, TCS, CTS, IBM, WIPRO, CSC has any information on their cases yet.

    I believe this anxiety will kill me

    Reply
    • If you read through previous posts you’ll get the idea that it’s not yet started
      🙂
      Why are you anxious when it’s not yet started.. Chill buddy…

      Reply
      • Thanks Chan you are right. But I am seeing so much information from individuals.

        Its sad that nobody is talking about the organizations.

        Reply
  2. Last processed receipt@CA — WAC1413654548
    Wow!! Can’t believe they already processed more than 4500 receipts today!!! Of course not all of the receipts belong to H1b.

    Reply
  3. Folks…
    Can we take it that… All PP’s for NON AD have been processed now from the CA center…. or do we wait for few more days…. Its killing…..

    Reply
    • Processing is probably over. That doesn`t mean that you didn`t get selected. There are number of reason why you still didn`t get any receipt.

      Reply
        • 1- Your lawyer/employer is not telling you that he received the e-mail.

          2- They didn`t receive an e-mail because;
          a. The e-mail is not sent yet by USCIS. For example VT is sending the e- mails pretty late.
          b. Because of a problem even though USCIS sent the e-mail, your lawyer didn`t receive it. In that case you would have to wait for the regular mail.

          3- There might be small number of PP cases that are not processed yet. Maybe couple hundred.

          Reply
        • One of the reason is that there are 85k receipts to be sent and they are sending over 4-5k a day.
          Therefore still a lot of time remaining 😉

          Reply
          • Again wrong information. PP processing is over in both centers. As I said there might be small number of PPs left because of a problem but otherwise they are now processing non-PP.

          • Wrong information.

            The fact you are not seeing any PP in the past 2 days doesn’t mean it’s over. For example there were some regular coming out the first days as well.

            And I didn’t mention PP process in my previous message, therefore wrong of what?

  4. for California,
    Premium processing applicaiton were complete from 132-135
    136 abd 137 its mailed not e-mailed
    WAC1413250001 –
    132-working day
    50001- 1st receipt num . it ranges to 4250 avg

    Not sure about Vermont…

    Reply
    • Sorry….

      No intention to hurt anybody.. jus i did some analysis on the reciept.. hope it should be wrong..
      All the Best for the Aspiring peoples

      Reply
          • Yes.. I expect them to start coming on Friday or Monday next week until end of May..

            And yes 136 and 137 are non-PP.

          • The theory seems to be incorrect. Actually when the tracker shows the application to be in acceptance mode, they use the term e-mailed and once it is moved to initial review, we will see the term mailed. The best example would be WAC1413251023.

            So its still hard to say if there were processing either the PP and RP applications.

          • if its in intial review it will show like

            Your Request for Premium Processing Service for your I129 PETITION FOR A NONIMMIGRANT WORKER was received on April 10, 2014. We mailed you a receipt with information about processing. We will mail you a decision as soon as processing is complete.

            eg: WAC1413251025

    • If that’s the process then I think today is the for only reg processing just checked from Wac1413750001 to Wac1413753313 all are regular cases..

      Reply
  5. when can we know the Receipt Number after being selected in the USCIS H1B lottery system . Actually in my case though I got selected in lottery system but not yet received the Receipt Number (WAC, EAC, SRC, and LIN).

    This morning I got mail from my lawyer “Great news, we’ve received confirmation from USCIS that your petition was selected in the lottery to be reviewed for this year’s H-1B cap!”

    When I asked my lawyer they got the confirmation e-mail not the receipt number. They are waiting for the receipt by mail.

    How can we don’t receive the receipt number?

    Please suggest

    Reply
    • Kumar,
      First, there are only 2 centers for H-1 processing – WAC and EAC. Second, if your’s was a PP case, then attorney should have received the receipt number in email.

      Reply
  6. Any updates HCL guys for non pp /regular processing . Anyone from HCL with Regular Processing. Each moment seems to be an era for me , waiting for the result.

    Reply
  7. I dint get reciept till now.
    AD/pp/VT.
    Already lost hope…planning to book flight to india after this week.
    Well I got F1 visa approved 5 yrs back. If H1 doesnt come then its not the end.
    At least we got some exposure to the client /studies,life has its own equations.
    I think I should stop worrying now and try to be happy for what life has given me.

    Reply
  8. Wac1413751200

    Guys check the series from 1100 to 1200 .i think non pp /regular processing receipt sent out started..this numbers for today I think

    Reply
    • Yes Maasamalei, there are big chat chains if you read below.
      I myself am observing this from 938. Could be AD / Regular processing scenario.

      Reply
      • Yes it cld be both as they sent the pp case for both the ad and non-ad at the same time. So we can hope to here soon for reg also.

        Reply
        • It’s only AD.

          Order is as follows:

          AD-PP -> sent through e mail as it’s PP
          Regular-PP -> sent through e mail as it’s PP
          AD-Regular -> sent through ordinary mail (This is happening now).
          Regular – Regular -> Not sure, but expected to happen after 28th as PP can be filed till then.

          Reply
  9. Has any case been processed today which is PP. Since some of the guys are checking cases has anybody found any PP case which has been processed today. I am loosing hopes now.

    Please help me with the information.

    Reply
  10. Got email from attorney.. NonAD/Regular quota/PP/Vermont got selected.. but not showing up on USCIS website yet.. EACXXXX

    Thanks,

    Reply
  11. Latest case number is WAC1413751313. I have checked around 30-40 cases all of them were regular processing case. I believe all PP cases are processed now.

    Reply
    • I have observed that CA is going sequentially but VT is now following any order, they are more of available visa…they most probably start from EAC1412451395

      Reply
      • Correction:

        I have observed that CA is going sequentially but VT is NOT following any order, they are more of available numbers…they most probably start from EAC1412451395

        Reply
        • No, that is wrong information. VT follows the procedure as well, they are just not updating the tracker.

          The case number you gave is not for H1-B. It was processed 2 weeks ago.

          Reply
  12. At what point will the checks get cashed? For regular processing is that a way to get an early indication before the snail mails come in?

    Reply
  13. I was putting some random numbers to USCIS tracker and found

    EAC1412450945
    which is selected on April 1st for I129. Not sure if it helpful? but thought to share…

    Reply
  14. My educated guess says that premium processing notification is over form USCIS side. The reason people are getting notification today is because of delay from their attorneys.

    Because regular processing will start only after all the PP cases are notified.

    No hard feelings guys its just a guess.

    Reply
    • Exactly. It is only a guess, therefore keep it for yourself.

      Why talking non sense when a lot of people is still waiting?

      Reply
        • I know. And it’s not affecting me at all.
          However if he states his ‘guess’ should states also factors relating that. And he/she doesn’t even know the difference between WAC and EAC, and is making guesses?

          Other people can be different from me and believe that.

          Reply
          • I think its time to pack my bags. Thanks a lot guys for the information which you guys are proving keep it up.

            Don’t use hard words against each other. Everybody is mature here and nobody wants/can hard anybody.

            I wish luck to all the people who are still waiting for the response.

          • Do not lose hope. All receipt are not issued in any order. It is random, therefore continue waiting!

  15. Its really sad that Big employers like INFI, TCS, CTS, IBM etc are not keeping their employers informed. When employees ask about time frame they are not responding at all.

    They can talk to Attoerneys directly they can’t get to know if cheques are cashed.

    These people are in complete dark.

    Reply
    • I responded the reason to this in an another post of yours 🙂
      And I think it’s valid from the company perspective to delay things.

      Reply
    • Its easy. They dont want you to leave and have to keep you hopeful for 2 -3 -4 months more till your other offer expires. They too get receipt like others but they keep it to themselves.

      IT companies look for themselves. never trust them. I meant Desi ones 😛

      I knew a guy from Immigration dept last time and he gave me my regulat receipt number in arpil end. Others were waiting till may-jun and what not

      Reply
  16. Thanks everyone for this website and ur participation.
    Our lawyer today informed us about that we got selected in lottery this year. They didnt mention receipt number, just said that its currently pending.

    We asked twice about receipt number, no replies… but anyways we now know that its selected…

    Non AD/PP/Vermont….

    Great portal and great participation everyone…. hope most of you guys get the news soon…. Its better to ask ur lawyer, they dont send emails most of times weather you are through to the lottery or not. You ask them….

    Thanks

    Reply
    • for California,
      Premium processing applicaiton were complete from 132-135
      136 abd 137 its mailed not e-mailed
      WAC1413250001 –
      132-working day
      50001- 1st receipt num . it ranges to 4250 avg

      Not sure about Vermont…

      Reply
      • This is how it works,
        This makes the assumption that all 4250 receipts were generated for cap-subject H-1s. If someone applied for H-1 extension, H-1 transfer etc, their receipt will also show-up in that count.

        Unless someone goes through the entire lot of 4250 receipts, there is no way to guess how many receipts are being processed on average.

        Reply
  17. This wait is killing me…and all hope that’s left. I tried emailing my lawyer but got no response back. I think that after this week I should get ready for Plan B whatever that may be.

    Reply
      • I do not have anything guaranteed right now. You can try a number of things:

        – Apply next year for H1B if you are still around. Given what we’ve seen this year and last one I don’t expect this to ahve high odds of success.

        – If you are in the US and want to stay here try applying for a phd. It’s a lot of work but I don’t see a better alternative for staying here. Anyone else has better ideas?

        – If you are fine with leaving the US try to find a job in Canada or anywhere else. You may be able to return in a year with an L1 visa or maybe even with an H1B if your employer is willing to bring you back.

        – Find a job outside US and give up coming back. Sad for some of us who’ve been here for a number of year but we have to keep it as an option.

        Hope this helps. Good luck guys!

        Reply
        • Some additional option is to find a job in university or non -profit organizations they are h1b cap-exempt. I am in the same situation as you guys this is my last chance.

          Reply
          • Again wrong information Robert. Vermont alone filed about 3.5k to 4k petitions yesterday.

            At the end of today we would have a total of 30-32K cases processed.

          • dg,
            Are you going by last receipt number to guess the number of receipts processed by a center? If yes, then how do you weed out receipts generated for cases other than cap-subject H-1 petition?

  18. Any one who got receipt FOR COS eithere l1 to h1 or f1 to h1 or h4 to h1.

    what they see when they put there receipt number.

    I-593 extened/cahnge of status
    or
    we received this I129 PETITION FOR A NONIMMIGRANT WORKER, and mailed you a notice describing how we will process your case

    Reply
  19. Does anybody have idea of how many application California and Vermont has processed today (till now). Do you have update about other two service centers.

    Reply
    • WAC1413751133 is the last in WAC.

      No Update about Vermont as it is not updating any case in tracker.

      last 4 digits is total cases for today as of now i.e., 1133 as of now.. it will keep increasing.
      Typically WAC is processing almost 4k/day.

      Reply
  20. Guys for anyone who is regular processing non advance, we need to wait atleast one more week. Even if they do issue the receipt number, the mail will take atleast untill monday to the reach the athorney.

    Reply
  21. Got the receipt number today from my employer
    Regular/PP/CSC – WAC1413653xxx

    Had a tough luck last year, as per my last year’s employer, assuming he actually sent my application !
    Happy to go through this year

    Good Luck everyone !!

    Reply
  22. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/allow-h1b-applicants-who-were-not-selected-fy2015-lottery-temporary-work-authorization/2VyMkNyr

    Reply
  23. Guys, I just received my notification from USCIS. I read this forum from the first day of April and I know everyone works hard to deserve a chance for this opportunity. Good luck to you all and keep your faith!

    Non AD/ PP/ VT

    Reply
  24. The uscs website said that the case numbers are assigned on the day the lottery is conducted. then y are the receipt numbers being generated on a daily basis if the lottery has been conducted on the 10th. This is very weird. Does anyone know about this ?

    Reply
    • They might have selected the application through lottery that doesn’t mean they have assigned the receipt #s. Lottery and receipt # might be two different things altogether. After all they have handle some 80K applications, not a easy task 🙂 .

      Reply
      • If you see the case status descriptiom in USCIS website …it says

        On April 10, 2014, we received this I129 PETITION FOR A NONIMMIGRANT WORKER, and mailed you a notice describing how we will process your case. Please follow any instructions on this notice. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you. If you move while this case is pending, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address or contact our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.

        In this description we can see “mailed” then it is regular.

        If it says”email” then it is PP,

        Reply
      • Hey dg we are working more than USCIS staff it seems..:) we are keep updating like as if we are from USCIS 🙂

        Hope this will help atleast some one right!!!

        Reply
    • Hey DG any idea how many application California and Vermont has processed today (till now). Do you have update about other two service centers.

      Reply
  25. Vermont / Advanced Degree / Regular Processing — still waiting, OPT expires on May 12th

    Has anyone received a receipt yet?

    Good luck everyone!

    Reply
    • hey i am in the same position. OPT expires in may. but if you have applied for H1B, your I-20 can be extended and employment authorized till june 1 (even though ur opt expires). see the below link and talk to ur school to extend ur I-20. they ask for proof of postal email receipt which you cna get from your employer, in my case, i dont have receipt but i made my employer to send them an email so that they were ok.
      after you get an official notice for uscis regarding rejection, from the date of rejection, we have 60 days to leave the country

      http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models/extension-post-completion-optional-practical-training-opt-and-f-1-status-eligible-students-under-h-1b-cap-gap-regulations

      dont loose hopes…. just be pateint. i am AD/PP/VT. i did not get through lottery last year

      Reply
      • Hi. Thank you for your response. However, you have to receive the receipt from USCIS before the expiration of your OPT so you can continue to work. And that what my concern is: not being able to work from the end of my OPT until October 1 (assuming I will not get the receipt before the expiration of my OPT).

        “Please note: F-1 students who have entered the 60-day grace period are not employment-authorized. If an H-1B cap-subject petition is filed on the behalf of a student who has entered the 60-day grace period, the student will receive the automatic cap-gap extension of his or her F-1 status, but will not become employment-authorized (since the student was not employment-authorized at the time H-1 petition was filed, there is no employment authorization to be extended). ”

        Source: http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models/extension-post-completion-optional-practical-training-opt-and-f-1-status-eligible-students-under-h-1b-cap-gap-regulations

        Reply
        • My apologies: I wasn’t aware of the preliminary cap-gap extension until June 1. Thank you for the info! I will contact my DSO.

          “To obtain proof of continuing status, a student should go to their Designated School Official (DSO) with evidence of a timely filed H-1B petition (indicating a request for change of status rather than for consular processing), such as a copy of the petition and a FedEx, UPS, or USPS Express/certified mail receipt. The student’s DSO will issue a preliminary cap-gap I-20 showing an extension until June 1.”

          http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models/extension-post-completion-optional-practical-training-opt-and-f-1-status-eligible-students-under-h-1b-cap-gap-regulations

          Reply
  26. Hello Saurabh

    I have Diploma in Electrical and Electronics Qualification with 15 Years of Experience , my employer got LCA filed and got the LCA Approval.

    With LCA filing papers and on my Resume . I put my Qualifications in resume ( currently undergoing a graduation BE Electronics ) I have two arrear exams papers has to be completed by April 2014 .

    Is this ok ? to put the graduation on Resume Submitted to USCIS ?

    Reply
    • Have you provided you educational transcripts? It is a mandated document for H1-B. LCA don’t have anything related to the candidate. It is related to the job position.

      What you have put in your resume is not that important as compared to what your employer has mentioned in the application. So, unless you get to know what details they have provided, it is difficult to anticipate anything at this time. Keep faith.

      Reply
      • Yes I did provided all to my employer and they said It’s okay to put information about a degree that you haven’t earned yet; the more information, the better.

        but I will be getting my graduation in 2 months .

        yes you are right the profession and position is the main thing

        Reply
  27. Hi all
    Has anybody received receipt number for Non AD-Regular Processing. I called my employer today. They told me that I shouldn’t expect a response before 90 day. I don’t think that it will take that long. One more thing will Regular Processing people will be notified by Normal mail (Instead of email). If that is true its not really justified. How long does it takes to send an email to the person. This wait is making me crazy. I am really sick of checking for information in almost every where.

    Reply
    • 90 days is a possibility. For regular processing and regular quota, people would probably start to get receipts around April 25 earliest. It can go on until June.

      Reply
    • Yes, attorney will get snail mail instead of E-mail.

      90 days is worst case scenario. If you are lucky enough you will get notified with in 2-3 weeks.

      Expect something with in end of may mostly.

      Reply
      • I don’t understand would it heart them to send a mere email. Its ok if they process the paper late. Let them take their own time in rest of the process. But at least they can send an email.

        Reply
    • Vipin,

      I believe your employer is also right.
      It’s mostly service companies that raise H1B in Regular Non-PP quota.
      Hence receipt numbers are sent to the immigration handling team in your company.
      Your company will take it’s time to accumulate the successful receipts and rejected applications. Then let it out to employees as a whole.

      Anyhow processed applications will come slowly in normal mail, and your LCA will not start before October 2014. Hence they will let it out mostly in bulk saying who all got selected / rejected.
      Letting it out in one by one will cause a commotion as it’s more irritating to wait when you’re colleague has got a visa 😉
      Hence you’re employer may also be correct when it says that “You shouldn’t expect a response before 90 days”.

      Reply

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