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H1B Visa 2016 – FAQs – Lottery, Quota, Immigration Reform, News

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Updated : November 25th, 2015

H1B Visa 2016 Filing Season Complete, Cap reached on April 7th, 2015.

Planning for next H1B season, Check out H1B Visa 2017 FAQs

As many of you know, H1B Visa 2015 quota was over in the first week and a whopping 172,500 H1B petitions were received in first week by USCIS.  H1B Lottery / random selection was held by USCIS to select 85,000 H1B petitions to fulfil the work permit cap. Many of the unlucky ones are already wondering about next year H1B Visa quota. Also, some of you are planning for H1B visa for next year, you also would be wondering regarding the same. This article addresses many of the common questions, it will be updated constantly, whenever any changes to info.  Bookmark this page !  To start with, firstly the news updates on this season, followed by many commonly asked questions.

Official & Unofficial USCIS News Updates Regarding H1B 2016 Season 

When will the H1B season for fiscal 2016 begin ?

USCIS will accept petitions for H1B Visa 2016 season starting from April 1st, 2015.  USCIS did a press release on March 12th outlining the details. Read summary of press release by USCIS on H1B 2016 .

Will there be lottery again for H1B Visa 2016 ? Predictions ?

We had lottery for FY 2015 and FY 2014. The total number of petitions filed for FY 14 were about 125,000 and for  FY 2015, there were about 172,500 petitions… As H1B Quota did not increase for FY 2016, and the demand does not seem to decrease, we would very likely have lottery for FY 2016.  Read H1B Visa 2016 Lottery Predictions, Dates, Results

What is the H1B Visa quota Cap Count ? Would there be any changes to H1B 2016 count ?

H1B Visa quota cap count is the total number of petitions that USCIS will accept for a fiscal year to provide temporary work permit for highly skilled workers.  For the 2016 fiscal year, the cap count is as below :

  • Regular H1B Quota : 65,000
  • H1B Masters Degree Quota ( only US Degrees) : 20,000
  • Out of the above, a total of 6,800 is usually set aside for Singapore and Chile citizens as part of the free trade agreement between them.

As per the press release in March 2015, the quota did not increase.  To give some background, as per the Obama executive action in Nov 2014, no changes were announced to the H1B Cap count. There was proposal in 2013 to increase H1B cap from 65,000 to 110,000 and Masters quota to increase from 20,000 to 25,000 did not go through as of March 2015. At least, for this FY 2016 season, the quota is fixed and it will be as above and no changes.

When should I start planning for H1B Visa 2016 ? What are the steps ?

It depends on your situation. Below are few scenarios and your plan.

  • If you are a student on F1 Visa in USA, you need to plan for your internship/ CPT or OPT employment  at a company that can sponsor your H1B Visa for FY 2016. In my view, you should start now to find something for the fall 2014 and continue that for next spring so that you can file for FY 2016
  • If you are in other country and planning for H1B, it is good to start your process around the end of this year 2014. It will give you enough time to find sponsors, search for job, etc.
  • If you are on H4, L1 or other visa in USA and planning for H1B for FY 2016, you also should consider looking around end of this year i.e. December 2014.

We have published step by step plan, you can read the article How to plan for H1B Visa 2016 ?Step by Step Guide 

Most asked Question – How do I Find H1B Sponsors for FY 2016 ?

This is a million dollar question !  One of the biggest challenges is to find a good sponsor that can offer you a job and wait for you to start work after 6 months of filing your petition.  You should review the detail article on How to find H1B Sponsors for FY 2015. Your first place of start is to find the H1B Sponsors in an area or by company. Use our H1B Visa Sponsors Database to search and filter. Read this article on details on how to search in our H1B Sponsor database. We keep the database updated as DOL publishes data. Do NOT share your email or phone number on our website as comments, there are many people do H1B Sponsorship fraud by requesting money using your contact info. RedBus2US.com never provides personal guidance on H1B sponsors or seeks money from anyone, we only display publicly available data on our H1B Sponsors Database page. We DO NOT sponsor H1Bs or guide anyone. Beware of H1B sponsorship Fraud ! 

What about Comprehensive Immigration Reform ( CIR) – H1B Visa Changes ? What are they ?

There have been some proposed changes to the H1B Visa program to cater to the demand in the  US economy as part of the Comprehensive Immigration reform. Below are some of the proposed changes.

  • H1B Cap to be increased from 65,000 to 110,000 per year.  Also have provisions to have it up to 180,000 in case of extreme demand.
  • Advanced degree from US cap quota to increase from 20,000 to 25,000
  • The Filing fee for H1B could go up to 10,000 USD
  • Additional H1B rules to avoid H1B Visa fraud by employers
  • Mandatory LCA posting for 30 days before it is certified.

These were proposed in 2013, but nothing has moved significantly and all the above are just proposed rules. We are not sure when they will be implemented. You can read  Summary of CIR – Immigration reform – H1B Visa and Green Card  to get an idea. The latest update is that Obama has taken executive action on Immigration in Nov  2014  and none of the below are included as part of that.  Stay tuned for updates.

H1B Visa 2016 Fees – Any changes ? How much does it cost ?

There are various components of the fee. The H1B Application filing fee could range anywhere from $1,600 USD to $4,400 depending on the size of the company. The attorney fee can range from $500 to $3000 depending on the attorney. If you apply for premium processing that is another $1,225. The fees has not changed in the past couple of years for FY 2014 and FY 2015. Unless USCIS revises fee based on immigration reform, it should be same. We will keep you all posted. For complete details of the fee by components and break up, read the article H1B Visa  Fees and Who Pays for What ?

H4 Visa EAD rule impact on H1B Visa 2016 Season ?

As you know, certain H4 visa holders are now eligible for EAD. The H4 Visa EAD Rule Passed earlier in 2015 and is effective from May 26, 2015.  USCIS will start accepting applications for EAD from those eligible H4 visa holders starting from May 26th. The question is that will that have an impact on number of H1B petitions for this fiscal year  ?  It very likely will have certain impact on the number of H1B applications that are filed for this year 2016 quota. Many of the H4 holders, who would now be eligible for EAD, may not apply for H1B visa, just because it gives them more flexibility to work and more choices to work as well. We would have to wait and see, how much of an impact that would have, but it is very straightforward and no brainer for eligible H4 visa holder to avoid the H1B processing.

H1B visa Premium Processing Changes to H1B Visa 2016 quota ? 

USCIS updated in their press release that the premium processing will be accepted for FY 2016 quota and they will only begin that “no later than May 11, 2015”. What it means for the petitioners is that the official 15 day premium processing clock starts from May 11th, 2015 and their petition could be adjudicated within 15 days from May 11th, which would be May 26th, 2015.  USCIS can process them earlier as well, but their new timeline is just indication for setting the right expectations to meet the stipulated time frame for premium processing.

Track H1B Visa 2016 Cap Count updates ?

As in previous years, we have created a page, where would track the cap count updates for FY 2016. You may check out  H1B visa 2016 Cap Count Tracker.

While you wait, you can check out April 1st – USCIS H1B Visa 2016 Season Starts Today, When to expect Lottery ?

H1B Lottery Completed – Official Tweet and Press Release 

H1B Cap Reached – Official USCIS Tweet and Link to Press release :


Any other questions ?

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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28,610 Comments

  1. I am getting an offer from Accenture kol…wat r the onsite opportunities in Accenture… any comments appreciated.

    Reply

      • CTS guys – Just spoke to GM and they said they havent received any selection notices after June 15.

        However, there have been cases where an RFE or approval was directly received without a receipt. So this is confirmed. If you dont receive any update after 7/20 (the date USCIS stated), send an email to them and ask for a individual status update.

        Reply

          • few days ago, someone had posted in this forum that they received rfe without a receipt no. don’t know genuinity of case though

          • I dont see why the GM rep should lie here. I think we have been hearing of these types of cases as well on this forum.

            Well, thats the data. You can believe what you like. No reason for me to try and convince you otherwise.

  7. Checked in uscis.gov

    USCIS announced on July 14, 2015, that it completed processing the return of fiscal year 2016 H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected in our computer-generated random selection process.

    If you have not received a receipt notice or a returned petition by July 20, 2015, you may contact USCIS.

    Reply

    • Dont expect any rejection mails from fdfu,its the managers who will convey this and that too very late to hold on the employee

      Reply

      • yes only chennai location guys are getting mails,other branches i have not heard people getting reject mails;rather people getting only pettion approval or rfe mails

        Reply

  10. My petition was approved on 2th July. now waiting for i797 for further process!
    Anybody knows is there any chances that they deny the visa in stamping process? i have applied from good renowned IT firm..!
    Thanks for the support you all guys have been giving.!

    Reply

  12. Hi All,

    My EAC # is EAC1516351### (Received on May-18) is still in Received status.

    What is your thought ? When this will going to approve ?

    Reply

  15. Hello friends,
    I have just realized that i have sent the passport which is valid till 2017/03 … i will apply for tatkal immediately butmay i know whats the process of submitting the new passport /consequence of submitting th passport which doesn’t have enough years … Please help mate …

    Reply

    • It is not a big deal, your i94 may end on the day of the passport expiry, instead of giving you the mximum allowed term. However, it can be extended later by going out of the country and coming back in when you have the new passport

      Reply

      • few days back i have received an rfe … can i have take a new passport and send it along with the requested documents … please advice and thanks much for your response 🙂

        Reply

        • I don’t think your RFE might be related to your Passport Validity… Check with your Employer as to what the RFE is all about.

          Reply

          • RFE is not related to passport validation … its my ask … can i submit a new passport along with the docs asked for rfe submission?

          • If you get your New PP by the time you submit your additional docs for RFE – Then the Answer is YES!!!

        • Let your company’s lawyer take care of the RFE, they should know what all documents to give. Don’t provide USCIS with unnecessary documents, it might confuse them, and you might get a second RFE (or worse -rejection).

          Reply

  16. Hope TCS US Visa team atleast notifies the rejected applicants by this month end based on the rejected petition received.

    Reply

  18. Why only EAC’s getting approval?? WAC seems too slow. 90% candidates here have updated status with EAC Receipt Number..

    Reply

  20. Just got this from my attorney:

    The USCIS is indeed still processing H-1B cap cases. The receipt numbers are actually immaterial in terms of when they get processed. There is no way to tell which officer was assigned your case and how quickly they are moving through their H-1B cap cases. They don’t process them in order of case number. That said, we would expect to hear something in the next few weeks but unfortunately we don’t have any updated timeline.

    Reply

  21. I got my H1-B approved yesterday.
    Recipt # EAC151495****
    Regular Processing / Non Adv
    Good luck for people waiting.

    Reply

      • I have been following the series of 250 receipt numbers (EAC1514950***) for the past 2 months and USCIS does not seem to work on any specific order. But what I can tell you is last Thursday, I requested my employer to upgrade my application to PP. He said another person from my company got approved that day and asked me to wait for a while. But I still requested to upgrade to PP. But yesterday morning my Visa was approved. and he did not file for PP. I should say I was lucky. I am not sure if USCIS goes works on specific company at a time. Its just a guess. I don’t have any other theory/examples to prove my observation.

        Good luck to you!!!

        Reply

  23. I am working for US MNC company in india and 5 years exp in current company .I done my UG in B.sc computers and PG MBA from India university.education evaluation also submitted along with my petition.i mentioned work location is employer location not client location.Is There Still A Chance To get RFE. Kindly advice.Thanks

    Reply

    • As you have 5 years exp with current company, it wont be an issue (I hope the you apply h1b thru the same company)… and also specifying employee location without client letter is fine as per the rule… but we can never say never for an RFE.. I guess, as long as the employer is proper, max it will be approved even if there is an RFE in bet…

      Reply

  26. Did anyone check with GI team as the status in AIMS still shows as “Filed with USCIS” They had communicated mentioning the status will be updated in AIMS by mid July.

    Reply

    • Do you really believe what GI team says…i asked this on BB at hyd and someone says it might go to mid of September as well..dont know for how long we have to wait for it .. 🙁

      Reply

  27. My case as well in ‘case received’ status since 13th April and and I am still waiting for result…EAC15144XXXXX. Do we have any deadline date to receive RFE?

    Reply

    • Hi , There is no dead line for RFE. your status should change at any time before oct 1st, possibly they will try to finish all applications by mid of September. don’t need to worry about it!thanks.
      Vasanth-Deloitte

      Reply

  28. Thank you for having this site which helps many people around the world.

    I would like to seek your advice regarding my situation. I am currently waiting for the decision in my employer’s petition (H1b). As per agreement, my employment start date would be November 2, 2015. However, I wish to ask my employer if we could change the start date from November 2, 2015 to January 2016. My reason is that I will be getting married this December 2015 and my fiancé and I would like that we spend time together before I move to US.

    Would there be any legal difficulties if I enter US after the employment start date as stated in the contract? Will my employer have to make some amendments in its petition?

    Thanks in advance for your response.

    Sam

    Reply

    • Sam, If you are not in US and did not apply for Change of status, it should not be an issue. You just need to speak to your employer and get their buy in that you can come in later. From Immigration perspective, it does not have any impact, if you come at a later point in time.

      Reply

    • Just a question: I’m confuse now… You received a notice that you was not selected in the lottery… So it means you did not received your receipt number such as EAXxxxxxx… or WACXxxxxxx some thing like that ? Or all those that have received they receipts don’t mean that was selected in the lottery?
      Please answer! Thanks!

      Reply

  34. Hi Guys… Finally I got the good news.. I have received the approval notice.
    Receipt Date – April 24 , 2015
    Notice Date – June 15, 2015
    Receipt Number – EAC-15-144 – #####
    Service Center – VERMONT SERVICE CENTER.
    All the best for the people who are still waiting for an update from immigration…

    Reply

  36. I don’t even know if my application got through the lottery. My employer says that he did not get any updates from USCIS since the filing. Is there still a chance for me? Is there someone who didn’t know that if they got through the lottery but received approval/receipt number in July 2015? Someone please answer.

    Reply

  37. Why do Indians want to go to USA? I have never seen them hanging out with the locals in their pics. They are always seen with other Indians, eating Indian food and celebrating Indian festivals. To be honest, I can’t even tell if they look like they are in another country. If they are so much rigid about their culture and if they love their country so much, why don’t they stay in India and work to improve it rather than fleeing away to a foreign land?

    Reply

    • The Gud old reason is Dollars $$ Boss which is around 63 Rs. So it makes an Indian 63 times happier being in the US. Hope you get it

      Reply

    • Its not true, Indian are versatile and adaptive. You can’t force someone to change their lifestyle or habbits. Everyone have a right to live in a way he/she wants. Also its our hard work which gives us the opportunities nothing else..

      Reply

      • So, are you implying that you don’t get opportunities within India and you have no choice except leaving your country? Are you saying that the people which live and work within India are not hardworking? Come on!! It’s just that people want to get paid Rs. 60 in USA for the same work which gives then Rs. 10 in India so that they can book a flat within India and get off the loan amount as soon as possible. Isn’t that the greed for easy money actually? Where’s the hard work?

        Reply

        • I live in US because of clean air and better health. If there’s a problem, the emergency services are extremely quick.
          Good enough reason?

          Reply

          • Yeah, isn’t it so healthy to live in a country where guns are sold in supermarkets? Good Luck with being healthy.

  38. Is unbelievable that some people got their cases approved and I still don’t know if my case was selected or not. For those with an approved case, did you guys apply on the premium processing service or the regular one?

    Reply

    • Hi Vinicio,
      Most of them are regular processing only as premium process folks will get decesion in 15 days most likely!
      1) did u ask your petition number from your employer?
      2)have you heard anything from your employer regarding lottery pickup of your application?
      3)Was it premium or regular processing?
      Thanks,
      Vasanth-Deloitte

      Reply

      • Hi
        I have communication with the attorneys. They still don’t have any news on my case because they haven’t received my package back. My employer applied in regular process.

        Reply

    • my employer told me I’m in the selected list but receipt not yet come… y he’s saying like that i don’t know? ??:(

      Reply

      • Hi Mate, if your application got picked up means you should have been given receipt number to track by now! anyway some people don’t share the receipt number for different reasons based on their conditions!!! try to get I797-C from your employer! how ever if your application really got selected means you need not to worry!….hope you will hear approval news from them soon!! all the best.
        Vasanth-Deloitte

        Reply

  39. My case is approved today! Receipt # was EAC15149#####. I was little worried as the status was not changed from “Case Received” since I got the receipt, but finally it changed to “Case Approved”!!

    Reply

  40. Hi all,
    By god’s grace, my case(eac1514951***) was approved today. Saw the status today around 9 pm.
    Receipt date 13th April.
    Guys waiting for approval,please have patience and soon you can have it approved.
    Thanks a million for the administrator and the people who posted valuable information here.

    Reply

  42. Immigration girl says premium processing is back , So people might start applying and I guess this would cause more delay for people who are on regular processing for approval . Is this soo ???

    Reply

  43. All those who post your Approvals , Please share your details as in Receipt no , Receipt date and approved date .
    This helps to all those who are eagerly waiting and checking for updates on Redbus2us , instead of asking again n again.
    Its a request TIA .

    Reply

  46. Finally. Its cap exempt case submitted on Jun last week…

    On July 7, 2015, we approved your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Receipt Number EAC15194xxxxx

    Reply

  48. TCSer,
    Looks like 5th list is also released ,
    Any one can confirm on this if it is really 5th list or its just false rumors??
    Also Mumbai FDFU guyz not sharing any details and till now managers have disclosed only 2 lists.
    Any way with which we can get any H1B update??

    Reply

    • Please don’t loose hope. People I know have got through even in August and September. Its frustrating to wait wait and wait….but we don’t have any other option!!!

      Reply

      • Thanks for the same but people are getting petition approvals mails last weeks but whenever I am asking the FDFU team about the status of mine then the result is “awaiting lottery status”. If the lottery is done for 65,000 then why they are holding back the things and not releasing the result completely rather disclosing in phase manner..

        Reply

        • Dear TCS’er,

          There wont be any huge list..

          Chances are here and there, very less..

          Delaying from attorney and as well as if they release all lottery result early, then iteration will be there, hence they want to hold this result and as well as employee for few more months..

          So please wait.. there will be a minimal chance to get positive lottery result.

          Reply

    • TCS guys,
      Looks like 5th list also have got released. Only ChennaiOne FDFU team is genuine with this notification process.. I never contacted FDFU team for knowing my H1B status.. But whenever the new lists are released, i am receiving notification email from fdfu (my id in bcc)
      Yesterday i got another email saying “as per the latest list that was released on 7th july, my id is still awaiting” which means there was another list released on 7th july which was 5th set of list.
      Fortunately we have good fdfu guys in chennaione..

      Reply

  49. Hi Guys,

    I got Receipt no. with a series like EAC1515****** with Receipt date as 13th April.

    Till now I didn’t see anyone with similar series here, does someone has the receipt no. with same series? pls revert.

    Thanks

    Reply

  50. Anyone still left with chek encashed but no updates after that? If yes, what does your employer has to say on this scenario?

    Reply

      • Same here. My employer said that cheque was encashed on may 1st buy after that no updates till date I will wonder if it takes this much of time to even get the receipt number. My employer says that we need to wait till July end am getting tensed as days are passing

        Reply

    • Same here. I have asked to immigrationgirl and her answer like:
      ImmigrationGirl
      July 6, 2015
      An email is only sent by USCIS if the petition was filed in premium processing. A large number regular processing cases remain pending at this time. Most should be completed by mid-September.

      Reply

      • dont u think IG means that RP cases pending for approval. Does she mean RP cases pending for receipt number distribution?

        Reply

    • My employer says that it could be due to rfe and when he tries to call uscis then long waiting….m still waiting for evn 1% confirmed update…so many things/future plans on hold due to this delay….n my parents nt able to understand the whole scenario 🙁

      Reply

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