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
- November 25th, 2015 : There is no special news as such, but we have our readers reporting that their H1Bs are still being approved that were under regular processing. So, if your status is stuck at one status, there is still some hope…
- July 14th, 2015 : USCIS released a note saying that they have returned all the petitions that were not selected in lottery for FY 2016. If you do not hear back from USCIS by July 20th, then you can contact them. Check Press note
- May 4th, 2015 : Data Entry for Selected H1B Petitions Completed
- April 14th, 2015 : Premium Processing H1B 2016 starts from April 27th
- April 13th, 2015: USCIS receives 233,000 for FY 2016 Lottery complete.
- April 7th, 2015: H1B Cap Reached for FY 2016. Summary of USCIS News
- April 6th, 2015: Guidance to file Second Petition, if Delivery Service Errors
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
USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016 http://t.co/fQ6EPUb8Y4
— USCIS (@USCIS) April 13, 2015
H1B Cap Reached – Official USCIS Tweet and Link to Press release :
We have reached the congressionally mandated H-1B cap for FY 2016 http://t.co/RTja7POWYY — USCIS (@USCIS) April 7, 2015
Any other questions ?
Any new receipts from VT (EAC) for AD?
Wish everybody here good luck.
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Vermont has not even started issuing receipts..I have only seen very few people say that they have got a receipt notice from Vermont…even Immigrationgirl hasn’t recieved anything yet from Vermont…I can definitely say that AD/PP/VT is fully alive right now
Hey how do we differentiate between receipts for H1b extension and New H1b
Can someone tell me how do we read the receipt number?
EAC1513752203
EEEEE AAAAAAAAA CCCCC one five…etc 🙂
This is the reason why Lot of Indians migrating to the US.Hard workers they easily Google what ever they want . 🙂
First 2 digits after EAC represents last two digits of the year.. so it related to 2015.
Yeah I got that part where EAC- name of the center/ 15- year / 137 day/ but the next five digit after that how are we reading it? right now the number is 52203, does that mean this is the exact count of the receipt and we only have few more thousand receipts to be generated.
There is always a 5 after the day number. then 2203 is the application number. It means it was the 2203rd application processed on that day.
Take WAC1513551400.
WAC-15-135-51400
WAC -YY-DDD-5XXXX
YY= Year
DDD = Working Day
5XXXX = Receipt Number
Last receipt generated from Vermont center
EAC1513752203
I think if it shows 16th april as date it might not be new h1b. All new cap one’s should show receive date as 13 th or 14th .
P.S : Just my assumption
EAC1513752095
I checked with most of my friends guys… last year their receipts were all dated 10th april… so this time anything dated after 14th is not cap application
I got my receipt number and it is dated as 15th April and I am in this years cap. So the date don’t necessarily have to be 13th or 14th April.
Thanks vishnu for confirmation. Did your law firm get initial notification as ground mail or email? (I am assuming you are pp)
I recently found out that I got selected. Best of luck to the rest of you! My prayers are with you all!
Ok, so now I’m working in US with OPT and it is going to be expired 05/20. Is there going to be any issue if I don’t get receipt by then?
I was informed by international student center that OPT is going to be extended automatically.
I applied with Non-AD / RP.
Please kindly advise.
If you are working on OPT, Look out for your rejection notice from USCIS. you can continue to work untill you get your notice from USCIS
So I can work until I get receipt , right?
What do you mean by look out for rejection notice?
Well, were you selected in the lottery? If yes, then no worries you’re all good. If no, then you can work until you receive the rejection notice from USCIS but you should consult with your school about the exact laws governing your situation. Do you qualify for STEM? If so, you should have applied a while ago. It takes a couple of months usually to get OPT extended via STEM.
-My OPT ends 05/20
-I’m not qualify for the STEM( NO EXTENSION )
-APPLIED with NON-AD/RP. still waiting for receipt.
In this case, I can work til I get receipt, right?
Anyone got receipt today for AD/PP/VT.?
California has not yet ended preimium process application…
Just check WAC1513650101
this application is in premium that means premium is not over
below is from attorney office.. applied RP/PP
USCIS has not given a definitive date by when receipt notices will be issued, but has confirmed that it will start the 15-day Premium Processing calendar no later than 4/27. This means that we expect to receive email Receipt Notices for H-1B cases filed under Premium Processing by the end of April. Paper Receipt Notices will be issued for cases filed under standard processing, and we should probably receive all of those by the end of May at the latest.
Why arent we getting any updates from California Service Center
It is probably because they had not started working yet. It is just 09:15 am in california
i do realize that but people were getting updates at hour yesterday and also some are reporting that thr attorneys confirmed that california is done with PP. so not sure what to believe.
CSC is still issuing PP receipt numbers as of now.
Are they going to send an email with receipt# as soon as they are generating it.?
Any Idea.?
Increased to EAC1513752050 in a couple of mins…
EAC1513752065
EAC1513752099
I think if it shows 16th april as date it might not be new h1b. All new cap one’s should show receive date as 13 th or 14th .
P.S : Just my assumption
Not necessarily. Someone above just said they got a receipt with an April 15th date and they were subject to the cap.
Ok guys, its just one call. They r not gonna shoot you, if they are willing to tell its good, or else you lost 2 mins of tym. My frnd called the univ international office n askd. They said its updated for 3 yrs. If it is expiring this year some tym then u can ask. 2 more frnds askd diff university they said they cant disclose. Its worth a shot. The person who sevis was updated is for nxt 3 yrs(PP).
Again i am repeating a call to the university will only help if your SEVIS/OPT date is expiring before Oct 1st, only in those cases is your SEVIS Updated. I have spoke with a student advisor a few days back and its the fact.
Agreed, this has some conditions apply.
Latest receipt in USCIS – EAC1513752007
Looks like it confirmed that all PP are over. I have lost all hopes. I am going to start packing my bags and get the ***k out of this country.
Regular PP also?
why are you posting with my name??
Same with me too..Lost all the hope I ****ing hate the feeling.. But i am sure god wants me to do things differently.. I never liked it here in the US anyways.. I was here only for the money..
Dear all, is the AD/PP over or is all PP over? I am still hoping my Non-AD/PP has a chance…??
rgs
Any receipts for Regular PP??
That is not true ……He is trash guy ignoe him
Masters Guys u can call your University and ask if SEVIS is updated, u can save tym waiting for the letter, both regular and PP can do this.
only if your OPT is expiring before October 1st, please post precise information to cut out the stress.
My OPT is already expired -10 days ago
I am AD/Reg..my opt is expiring in june.. when is the best time to call the university?
I think the update will take weeks to be effected!
Anyone from Oracle got the receipt? ?
Please rise SR with oracle. This will serve based on criticality
Good joke but not the right place n moment! !
GOOGLE USCIS CASE STATUS, SEARCH THE NUMBER, INCREASE THE LAST 4 DIGITS UNTIL IT FAILS
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hi guys, one of my colleague got his check cashed just half an hour ago. Big congrat! If you are AD/PP/VT just check with your employer to see if your check got cashed.
Just had a word with my attorney and he confirmed PP petitions for CA are completed, they will start RP now. Good Luck!!
anyone can confirm if this is the case?
Is that true?
if thats the case just 5000 or so premium cases out of 233k, I would have surely thought that number would have been greater than that.
I know the pain of this waiting period, This is my last chance and my opt ends in May 3rd week. I will pray for all those whose last chance it is, because i know its hard to give up at this point and start again.
All the best 🙂
Exactly in your shoes, so hard to get to terms with it might not happen. Praying for all last chance personnel, and hoping we get through and others as well. Lets keep the faith and keep praying!!
Processed till now in vermont, some or very few could be old or PR petitions
EAC1513450001 EAC1513452639
EAC1513550006 EAC1513553840
EAC1513650001 EAC1513654340
EAC1513750001 EAC1513751350 (Today)
EAC1513752005-most recent
Hi,
Does anyone of you happen to know, how long (tentative date) there is a possibility to receive h1-b selected receipts under premium processing? This is a lot of pressure!! Thanks 🙂
You will know by April 27th. good luck.
Keep your hopes alive till 27th..Its not over if you don’t get it today..
Guys any nonadv/pp got receipts from Vermont ?
Looks Like WAC1513554040 is the last receipt from CA.
I am thinking… it’s just 8 am in CA. They haven’t started today’s work???
True. Number will start going up starting 0930 CA time.
Hi guys,
First, good luck to all waiting for the results!
My employer filed a petition for me, but I was wondering how you guys are able to track if you got selected in the lottery or not. My employer didn’t give me any type of “tracking number” and I’m super anxious for the results.
I tried to look if you guys talked about this on the first pages of the forum, but there’s a lot of comments and I have to study for finals, so I would appreciate if anyone can help me with this. Thanks 🙂
There is no tracking number, to know whether u got selected in Lottery.We need to get this information from Employer HR/Attorney.
People who came to know about their receipts must be getting information from their consultancies/lawyers
Is Regular process started, any body received the receipt number for Regular process
For regular processing we can expect the receipts from next week onwards.
I just now got call from employer… I was selected in Lottorry
Duck!!! Thats for real
EAC1513751139
When did you hear back.. was it just a while back?
Coz i see a lot of PP number that VT is processing today.
Just 10 mins before 🙂 . Hope everyone this blog will get through….
Very happy for you .. and others who got it till now. please pray for my wife as well.
Did you get the receipt ?
Can i know your first letter of last name
Can you share your receipt number .. masking the last three digits.?
EAC1513750651.. vermont most recent
EAC1513750999 Last checked few seconds back..
seems like Vermont is still processing PP. Have your hopes high guys.
EAC1513751867
EAC1513751201-They have started RP..
On April 13, 2015, we received your case and waived the filing fee for your Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization , Receipt Number EAC1513751201. We mailed you a notice describing how we will process your case. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you do not receive your receipt notice by May 13, 2015, please call Customer Service at 1-800-375-5283. If you move, go to uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.
Any AD/RP or AD/PP news today? From WAC?
Any1 still waiting for PP/AD California? Are they done with it?
Yes Its done
Anybody heard AD/PP from California center today or they have all been already processed?
Thts wht I m thnkng @.
Guys, they are not done yet for sure, stay strong and hopeful. One of my friends last year received receipt after two weeks of lottery (AD/PP), so give it one more week. I am praying for all, you also pray as hard as possible, it works, believe me.
YeSSSSSSSSSSSS got mine from VT. All the best all
Super hard for me to get through this day. Fellow members who got selected, please pray for the remainder of us. Trying to keep calm. Good luck everyone
Are u Ad/PP/Vt?
Tell me about it man. I am sweating every min…lol. I get zoned out time and again at office.
Hi H1bslaughter, for the fast few days I am observing you. dont be panic, You will definitely get the visa this time…….trust me….
@ AD/PP – I am AD/PP/CSC
@ Rakesh – I can feel your flight brother, it is so awfully hard to focus on anything, everyday morning its a pain to drag myself out of bed as I dont want to face the day
@ 2016 hope – Yeah i know i have been panicking way more than others i guess. Please continue to pray for me and I will pray for you and others as well.
I was in the same situation last year. I did not get my H1 and I had only a month left for STEM OPT expiry. Thankfully, at the end of STEM OPT, my company decided to send me to Mexico and planned to hire me on Mexican payroll. Though the pay is less in Mexico, I am happy that my employer did not abandon me in the toughest of the times ever faced by me. Guys, I want to say only thing, and this I am saying from my experience: Not getting H1 is not the final nail in the coffin! If you know you are an asset to your employer, they will indeed find a way to retain you. One lottery should not be a reason for your disappointment! After all, money is not everything! So cheer up guys and do not lose hope! All the best! 🙂
I am telling you start working on plan B. You are PP and all PP receipts are over. Hard to accept but it is the truth.
I see Vermont generating receipts starting from EAC1513650001 to EAC1513653000. PP’s
Is this may contain any RP ?
They have even started sending EAC151375xxxx receipts.. Wow they are fast.. AD/PP/VT
04/14/2015: EAC151355xxxx – About 4000 this day
04/15/2015: EAC151365xxxx – About 4000 this day
04/16/2015: EAC151375xxxx – still counting
I guess this is latest number today EAC1513750164
But Why they are not sending receipts for PP………Any idea ?
EAC1513654335 is latest
From what I have observed over the two days, those numbers include PP for I-129 (H1B petitions) and also other requests, such as change of address, change of name, fee waiver, etc. Guys don’t panic yet. PP receipt numbers are still flying out to reach you.
This is my second year filing AD/PP/VT, by the way. Still waiting. Good luck!
Zyuan,
Can u pls share where u get the info about the count?
GOOGLE USCIS CASE STATUS, SEARCH THE NUMBER, INCREASE THE LAST 4 DIGITS UNTIL IT FAILS
Where do you check this numbers?
GOOGLE USCIS CASE STATUS, SEARCH THE NUMBER, INCREASE THE LAST 4 DIGITS UNTIL IT FAILS
Does any one know about Nebraska Service Center? Any update is appreciated.
Nebraska doesnt issue receipts. Your employer fooled you.
There is no Nebraska Service center for processing H1 only California and Vermont does.
They did not fool me. Actually that was my guess since the company is in Illinois. So which center will be issuing H1B lottery result?
I guess it will be Vermont
looks like vermont is processing applications atleast doing something..first sign from past 2 days..keep your hopes alive guys..AD/PP/VT..
Don’t start this again, we all are very tensed
AD/PP/VT
Check cashed this morning
hi man, huge congratulations! when was your application received?
Delivered to USCIS VT on April 1st
Did you get the receipt yet from attorney?
Not yet
The percentage of premium filing to regular filing is 25:75. So assuming also same ratio in 85k visa distributed premium will be 25 to 26k and regular will be 59 to 60k . So hand in there lot of visas to go
Any updates?? Any RP AD receipts received?
Vermont numbers increasing. God answered my prayers. have hope guys.
Mrs Hope
You are AD PP or RP PP ?
I don’t see the numbers increasing after eac1513554016..could u see any increase?
Please try with the following series 1513650001, since the date had been changed from April 14 th 15
Thank you!
hey where are checking that and how to check it
Today will be an important day in the entire human history. Brothers and sisters, do not lose hope. We still have a chance! If we pray hard enough, David will beat the Goliah.
Vermont guys, can still wait. Again cases numbers started increamenting in USCIS website. And my friend said his check just got enchased. But not yet received receipt. It may be today or tomorrow or for next three to four days. Dont worry yet.
one thing wired, the case numbers got generated, but no one, as far as i know, has received receipt number from Vermont Service Center.
newest EAC1513554016 now
Any PP/Non AD/VT got recipts?
Nothing yet, I’m non Ad/PP/VT too