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H1B Visa 2015 – Frequently Asked Questions – Updates

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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.

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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. Hello Guys, The best thing to have patience and I am keeping it 🙂

    However, just need to check if someone got any updates for

    Non AD / Non PP / VT

    H4 to H1.

    Thank you Friends!

    Reply

    • You still gotta wait mate….PP’s are still being dispatched…. I saw one of the folks commenting that they got a mail via Ground… So it is just not EMAIL but they are sending it via Regular Mail as well…

      NON PP – One of my friend last year had applied H4 for his wife… He got the notification saying she was selected after a month…it was normal processing.

      It is stressfull for people @ the VT and CA centers as well … And also very stressfull for people like you and me …. As this wait is Killing….. All the Best

      Reply

        • Ping,
          I think he meant to say applied H-4 to H-1. H-4 doesn’t need to go through any separate lottery. Once H-1 is selected, H-4 is considered selected as well.

          Reply

  4. The new status from USCIS means that they will be processing PP cases STARTING APRIL 28th. The difference with the previous status is that the previous one said NO LATER, this one is a confirmation, that probably means they might (or almost) have completed sending out receipts to PP cases via EMAILS.

    correct me if im wrong

    Reply

    • I think they are confirming that there’s no change in the date. They could have received queries asking for status updates etc. so this probably answers it. I’m still reading/ hearing about PP cases getting receipts.
      I don’t want to be too positive about getting a receipt, but at least there’s a ray of hope.

      Reply

    • I think we should wait till 28th April, check it out USCIS website. They have updated(confirmed) that they will start application process from 28th April for premium processing.

      Reply

      • It says no later than April 28th…..Which implies all Premium Processings will be completed by 28th…Correct me if I am wrong

        Reply

          • the email I got with receipt number says “will be adjudicated no later than 15 calendar days from the received date above (10/Apr/2014). So most PP cases will be be processed by 25/Apr itself.

    • Hi i got my H1b Receipt number but when i check my case online it does not come up do you think this happens or my employer has given me a wrong number i had clarified with him twice/

      Reply

  7. Does anyone hear news about regular processing cases?
    I am AD/Reg/CA. I asked university about my SEVIS status, it is not changed, anxious.

    Reply

  8. Just received the receipt number from my attorney. It was sent to the attorney through ground mail ! I understand how stressful this is, but don’t lose hope.

    This blog is really helpful and I wish good luck to everyone who is still waiting

    Reply

  9. On April 28, 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin premium processing for H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year 2015 cap, including H-1B petitions seeking an exemption from the fiscal year cap for individuals who have earned a U.S. master’s degree or higher. USCIS first announced that we would begin premium processing for H-1B cap cases no later than April 28 in a news release on March 25. USCIS provides premium processing service for certain employment-based petitions and guarantees a 15-calendar-day processing time.

    http://www.uscis.gov/news/uscis-h-1b-premium-processing-begin-april-28

    Reply

      • My attorney just gave me a generic answer… We will notify you once we receive anything please be patient… What about you? Did u ask?

        Reply

        • Finally found someone else from MSFT. No news for me either, attorney did not reply. AD/PP. At least relieved to know that I am not the only one.

          Reply

          • Are you currently working there or are you planning to start there soon? I’m a new recruit graduating in may and I’m not sure why MSFT hasn’t given us any information as of now. Any news from any others at MSFT?

    • They told me they would notify me within two business days once they receive notification from USCIS. By the way, shouldn’t it be cal service center as the office is at Redmond, WA?
      Regular/PP/waiting

      Reply

  16. I got my receipt EAC/Non AD/PP/VT number 2 days back but still not able to see the status on USCIS website. Anyone else having the same problem ?

    Reply

  17. Hi ,

    I am still waiting for my receipt 🙁
    Mine is AD/PP/VT.
    Did any one under AD/PP/VT received receipts today ??
    I am loosing Hope:(

    Thanks!!

    Reply

  18. Hi Guys,

    It is a lot of pain for the people who can not get the lottery this year.

    Could you go to the whitehouse website to sign and try our best to help them?

    Thank you!

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

    Reply

  21. “On April 28, 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin premium processing for H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year 2015 cap, including H-1B petitions seeking an exemption from the fiscal year cap for individuals who have earned a U.S. master’s degree or higher.”
    updated from USCIS website today

    Reply

  22. Long wait has been gone, my employer received receipt number today morning Non AD/PP/VT. This page is awesome and I am a watching from day one of lottery.

    Reply

  23. Finally, AD/PP/Vermont. Was 1 week late 2 years ago, didn’t get through the lottery last year, had to move to England, and at last, with the 3rd try, I made it! USCIS website, however, can’t find the case yet.
    BTW, the email contains “Date Received: 04/10/2014”, although the lawyer informed me yesterday.

    Reply

    • I wish all of those still waiting patience and positive view on future regardless of the outcome. US is not the only nice place on Earth, and EU has much to offer too. Good luck, comrades!

      Reply

    • When did you receive the notice? And when is the receipt dated? Congratulations 🙂

      Yes EU has a lot to offer. How did you move to UK for a year, if you don’t mind sharing?

      Reply

      • I received it yesterday, but I suppose the lawyer was out of the office and forwarded the receipts with delay. I don’t have head of the email that she received, she just copy-pasted me the body. The “Date Received” in there is 04/10/2014 .

        My employer transferred me to the office in UK, so it was as painless as a move from one country to another can be. UK was quite shocking at first, but then you get to appreciate the beauty of it. Like a proper cognac 🙂 I, however, still prefer US.

        Reply

          • No, I’m not a commonwealth national. If you’re talking about the visa process, then (unless you’re from EU and don’t need a work visa at all) it takes a bit long, they also have caps, beurocracy, and even vacancy advertising requirement, but in practice you get visa here with more certainty.

            Perhaps, better comparison would be with whiskeys… single malt – they are pretty good here from Scotland 🙂

  25. How many types of I797 is out there? After email receipt does USCIS makes decision in 15 days from receipt date or they will begin from Apr 28?

    Reply

      • but on email it says within 15 days! I am worried because my opt expires on apr 28th!! University is asking for I797 for cap gap extension.

        Reply

        • upto my knowledge, its 15 days from the date they received. so, wait…….. and, if you have applied for H1B and can show the proof of h1b application duplicate documents or usps postal receipt when u applied for H1B, uinveristy will extend ur work authorization till june 1. see the below link

          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

        • Hello,

          If you can give them receipt of your H1B they can extend it till 09/30. Before which if you get approval you are good. In case of denial you get 1 month to leave.

          This is known as CAP GAP. You need a receipt of the peition for this.

          In case if you have not got your receipt till now, I think there is a months extension or so.

          Can anyone correct me if I am wrong here? Will be helpful for this chap.

          Reply

          • H1B,
            Physical 797 copy should arrive in few days. Ask your attorney about it. Meanwhile take a print out of the email receipt and give it to your DSO.

    • H1B,
      There are 3 kinds of 797 – 797A (approval notice with COS), 797B (approval notice w/o COS), 797C (receipt notice).

      They will process i.e. approve or issue RFE for all PP petitions within 15 calendars from April 28th. I have explained the logic in another post on this thread.

      Reply

  26. Is seems only PP applications are getting processed this year.. Havn’t heard of any RQ/RP Applications from either Ca/VT…

    Reply

    • Regular Processing receipts are sent in mail and Premium Processing petitions get notified via email. The mail takes a couple weeks to reach depending on when it was entered into their system.

      Reply

  29. Anyone who got their confirmation mail yday , are you able to see the case on uscis web site , mine is Non Masters/PP/VT , the case is not visible , when I enter the reciept no , also the mail from USCISC say they would be processing it within 15 days of received date , the recieved date they have provided is 10th April , so this mean they should process it by 25th or will the clock start from 29th onwards , any ideas?

    Reply

    • Good post. I have the same issue. I got mine on Monday, still cannot track the case AD/PP/VT. Same as my friend. Please let me know if you can track your case. Thank you. Good luck to everybody.

      Reply

    • jaimatadi,
      That’s a common theme with VT this year. The receipt numbers are not being tracked online. I assume they will fix it soon.

      All receipts will have a receipt date of April 10th. So if a PP receipt is issued on April 18th, it will still have a receipt date of April 10. That doesn’t mean USCIS will process it by April 25th, as that would give them only 7 days since the day receipt was generated.

      What USCIS’ announcement meant was PP SLA would not be honored until 15 calendar days from April 28th. So your PP petition may be processed in next few days, but your employer/attorney cannot raise PP SLA until May 12.

      Reply

  30. Sing this petition and Put it in FB and Twitter to get maximum signs.

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

    Reply

  32. Checked with fragomen and got the response that they are “waiting untl the cap is closed to send updates”….. Anyone getting the same response from them?

    Reply

    • Yes, USCIS will keep few applications in waiting list apart from 85k.
      PP will start by end of this month. If there are any applications denied due to insufficiant documents, waiting list application will get chance.
      Don’t loose your hope atleast for next 2 months. Who knows you may be in waiting list.

      Reply

      • Thank you! That’s really good of them to do. I had no idea, I kept cursing for the past weeks how illogical it is not to check BEFORE lottery whether some applications were actually inadmissible. I have PP; in case I am waitlisted would I get the notice before end of May?

        Reply

        • Yes, you can wait for the receipt till end of May. I believed to be my application was kept in waitlist last year. I received the receipt on 2nd week of May when people had already started posting the message that their application was denied. (Last year uscis started approving / denying the PP from Apr, 15 itself). Good luck to you.

          Reply

      • @Mani: It is not a confirmed procedure man. Pure speculation. Nowhere officially has USCIS mentioned about “wait-listing” applications

        Reply

        • @KRK, Believe me it is true. Here we go, I want you to go to page 5 on this forum and check the reply from Saurabh for my question.

          Reply

        • KRK,
          Here is an official announcement from USCIS regarding wait-list petitions. Although it is from 2008, there hasn’t been any change announced since then. Over the years, they have been publishing less content in their lottery announcements.

          That’s what USCIS announcement from 2008 said “USCIS expects that for each of these wait-listed petitions, it will either issue a receipt notice or return the petition with fees within six to eight weeks”.

          Reply

  35. got below update from cts

    As a follow-up to the initial email that was sent with regards to your H1B filing, please find below the latest update that we have from USCIS.

    USCIS reached H-1B Cap for FY 2015 on 7th April and conducted a lottery of the filed petitions on 10th April. We expect to know the lottery results in another 2 or 3 weeks’ time from the USCIS. Cases rejected in this lottery will be duly returned and their status would be appropriately updated in our systems as soon as we receive a confirmation on those rejections from the USCIS. However, cases selected in the lottery will be acknowledged with a receipt notice which would be issued in the duration of 60 – 90 days after the lottery results are announced.

    Therefore, we request you to refrain from raising any status related queries in this duration, as we will proactively reach out to you as and when we receive any update from USCIS on your filed petitions.

    Reply

        • They are probably super annoyed by now. That’s why they say 90 days so they can have peace of mind for a while. However, we all know that majority of receipts will be out by mid May.

          Reply

          • @Mueller – yes they are super annoyed for sure .

            from below para .. i understand that if rejected we will be updated within 2 -3 weeks.
            “”
            We expect to know the lottery results in another 2 or 3 weeks’ time from the USCIS. Cases rejected in this lottery will be duly returned and their status would be appropriately updated in our systems as soon as we receive a confirmation on those rejections from the USCIS.””

  36. Thank God !!! got the email today early in the morning..
    Mine was NON AD/ PP/ VT.

    Thanks everyone !! & Good luck for all those who are still waiting.

    Reply

  38. Hi ,

    I got my receipt number yesterday for Non AD / PP / VT but my case status on USCIS website is not updated yet . Is it something to be worried about or there are similar cases like mine ?

    Reply

  39. It seems there is no update on USCIS website for vermont cases, whereas California cases are regularly getting updated.

    Any guess why??

    Reply

  40. Hi all,

    I have two puzzles regarding this whole process in my head:

    1) Can anyone give me a logical reason of holding back the count of the AD petitions? I am not necessarily suggesting something fishy is going on behind the scenes. But any idea why on earth they would do that?

    2) In the USCIS page they have the a table indication the count of each type of petitions. Why they atleast update weekly on count of petitions reciepted , this will reduce the anxiety of people waiting. And in my opnion that was the purpose of this chart in first place. It didnt exist last year.

    Any insights would be helpful.

    Thanks and good luck to ones waiting.

    Reply

    • I have an answer for number 2.

      The Americans are the laziest people on the planet ! that’s why they are unable to even update a very simple thing. And guess what ! Tomorrow is Friday and non of them works on Fridays. Laziest nation on the planet. Whatever they have is just because of us !

      Reply

      • Mikeab – why don’t you just withdraw your application and head back if America is such a land of wasted, lazy idiots? I’m sure you’d thrive in India competing with 1 billion other hardworking folks.

        Reply

        • You have an answer..

          Its very hard to compete with 1 B hard working indian.. very easy to do this in US with these lazy peoples

          Reply

          • Mikeab – if USCIS or someone from Congress sees your comment, they’d reject ALL H-1Bs immediately. This is exactly the type of excuse they are looking for in order to scrap H-1B program altogether.

            I think you THINK twice in the future before posting in a public forum.

          • I have noticed this fool name Mikeab has been posting impatiently with a bunch of complaints and ignoring comments, he doesnt understand (or doesnt want to) how it works here in the US and keeps calling lazy Americans… you will learn it in a hard way dude, American mentality is not Indians, YOU will have to adapt, not them… stupid

      • Don’t know which country you are from, you apply for a chance to be part of the American Dream, live work and prosper in a country and then defame and abuse it. Shame on people like you. Why don’t you hang in the little hole wherever you are and take back your H1B application make way for one deserving guy who won’t abuse the USA where we all want to make a decent life.

        Reply

    • Simple:

      1) Because they can.

      2) Because they can.

      Frankly, I don’t think USCIS cares too much about the end-user experience. They are not exactly Google or Apple type of organization…

      Reply

      • So if USCIS is still generating the receipts for AD/PP and AD/RP then we can say that the AD quota which is 20000 is currently getting used. so still we have 58200 general quota for AD/PP (not selected in 20000 lottery) and AD/RP (not selected in 20000 lottery) , Non-AD/PP and Non-AD/RP.

        Does that the situations ?

        please correct !!!!!!!

        Reply

        • They do not do any RP until all the PPs regardless of AD or non-AD is finished. Then they start all the RPs and they way that it works is that it dosent matter if you are RP AD or RP non-AD. They just print them in mixture caz all of them are RP !

          Reply

  43. Hey can any one tell me the diffrence between NON-AD/RP and AD/RP ?however if the someone has done her/his Masters NOT from US then will that pitition comes under AD/RP or Non-AD/RP ?

    Reply

    • Only U.S. Masters should be considered AD.

      The difference between non-AD/Regular Proecssing and AD/RP would be that the latter has a lot higher chance of being selected.

      Reply

  45. Public Service Announcement,
    Lot of people are going through USCIS receipt numbers to predict how many receipts are being processed on a daily basis. Although I have replied to their posts multiple times, it is not making any headway. So I am posting it here for the wider audience:
    1. USCIS processes all sorts of petitions – cap-subject H-1 (which is what you all are interested in), cap-exempt H-1, COS, H-1 amendment etc. All these receipt numbers look exactly similar to each other and unless one looks at the status message, it is not possible to determine whether it is for this year’s H-1 or not.
    2. Although the sample data is small, but I did notice USCIS generated 1000-1100 receipts per day before April 10. Assuming that number remains the same, one can assume about 1000-1100 petitions after April 10 are also not for H-1 cases.
    3. The usage of word “email” and “premium” in status message to determine whether it is a PP case or not, holds true only for certain case status messages. For example, when USCIS receives RFE response review for PP case, the status says it will be processed in 60 days (for PP cases it should have been 15 days). Looks like when the status is Acceptance then it uses the word “email” and it changes to “mail” when it moves to Initial Review. This is in regard to the theory that USCIS is done with PP cases and moved on to non-PP cases. In 2013, USCIS continued to issues PP receipts for around 2 weeks. If PP cases are done, then that is huge change in USCIS’ efficiency (but I doubt that’s the case).

    Now, I haven’t put (3) at play yet. If one of you has time in hand, can you try to do this – subscribe to few PP cases that are in Acceptance status (you can create account and add the case number to your account for case updates). Once it moves to Initial Review, see what the online status becomes. It will either prove (3) or refute it.

    Reply

  46. THINGS ARE SCREWED UP HERE… ADMIN PLEASE CHECK THE COMMENTS ARE NOT DISPLAYED PROPERLY IN A PAGE………….

    Reply

    • I have asked Kumar to clear the cache. That fixed the issue last time and I think that it will fix it this time as well.

      Reply

  47. here is one petition, please sign
    https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/allow-h1b-applicants-who-were-not-selected-fy2015-lottery-temporary-work-authorization/2VyMkNyr

    Reply

  48. Hi, Could any one tell……………..which centre does Fragomen filed the petitions ? i’ve applied for Non-AD/PP………..?
    Has anyone, applied with Fragomen heard of any updates………..

    Reply

  49. I still didn’t get any response from my employer/attorney… Non-AD + PP from Vermont.
    Is there any hope for me…

    Please reply… i’m bit worried…

    Reply

    • Last one from CSC is WAC1413754368…they are processing 4368 applications a day..and i see many PP….so hang on guys there are many more PP’s to come..i am in RQ/RP though so will have a long wait

      Reply

      • full force,
        Again, you make the incorrect assumption that all 4368 receipts for cap-subject H-1 petition. That would be true if USCIS did nothing but handle only cap-subject H-1 petitions

        Reply

  50. My OPT is good till August 25th, I am prepared to go back to home….. After 6 years may be I will go back…………. Seems like USCIS will decide my future..

    Reply

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