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 update RP ?
Wipro guys.. Any updates ? By when can we expect the result to be updated in system. And for whom all do they file in PP ?
Mauka Mauka Mauka Mauka
aayega bhai , sabka mauka aayega.
Please update if anyone from Amazon, Seattle (Fragemon) get any updates.
Still waiting for result.
Did you tried contacting Fragmen or someone in Amazon immigration department?
No response from Fragemon. But, the Immigration dept on thursday said that they just started receiving some receipts. We should get an idea of what % of applicants got the receipt. If its 35% to 40% already then we don’t have much chance.
Is there any possibility that Amazon is waiting for more result/receipts and then send email to everyone?
Someone already got it on 15th.
Wipro guys…any news
any expected date for RP results
Nope.
OOC guys are not responding.
Did you tried reaching them?
No Suman, may be by this weekend or next week they might start sending mails .
Last year they did that , i missed last year .
this year i will get 🙂
Hopefully, I will get too 🙂
My wife is already there on student visa.
Good luck!
GIMS wont respond untill they get an update from USCIS.
Last year, many got by 3rd and 4th week of APR. We can expect some by this week. Let’s see.
Mine fourth time dude…….
Good luck buddy…
Hope we both get this year.
Is there any update or discussion going on GIMS yammer page?
Any one with multiple application got selected in lottery? got there recipt number? Any category does not matter. I dont see anyone with multiple application getting picked.. Is it time for me to panic 😀
Received receipt yesterday. Thanks and best if luck to all.
Received receipt yesterday. Thank and best if luck to all.
Hi,
As your name suggests, it is for Non AD/ PP/Cali?if you can, Could you please post the date USCIS emailed about receiving the petition? Eg., on some date we received your app thing
On April 16, 2015, we received your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Receipt Number XXX.
Guys,
Pls let me know if any one have received updates for Regular petition.Thanks!!!
Hurray,
I have got my receipt picked in lottery.
Cheers!!!
What kind of petition did you apply, AD/PP?
When will picked ur lottery
Wt is the difference
Premium process
&
Regular process
Hi Guys
I just wanted to know if my name is picked on lottery last year but some how its denied due to some employer fault can I use the same ref number this year for different employer .. please let me know if any uscis site have this information
No.Stamping should be done then only you can transfer your employer this is completely different process.
Hi,
As of now stamping is not that mandatory to change the employer. but your petition should have been approved by USCIS then you can be counted for cap exempt. I have seen several cases where people did not go for stamping and change employed and then do the stamping. As i understand your petition was denied so you are not counted in Cap exempt .you have to apply new H1B petition.
Second time and applied in CPT. This stress has been killing me and finally I have made up my mind to go back and not waste another moment in this stupid lottery. Hopefully, God has planned something better and bigger for me! Good luck to everyone waiting! Next year, there will be one less applications for you guys to compete with 🙂
Someday, will look back and laugh about this. Will be writing a book soon titled ” Let go…..” After I have reached a certain level of stability. Do read it, guys! :b God bless America!
Mine.. 4th attempt dude.. So dont worry…. It all happens….
When God closes one door, another 3 door will be opened for you.
Sure there are bigger/better chances waiting for you than this nonsense !!
I am waiting for Non-AD/PP/CA. Is there any hope? I did not receive any notification from employer yet.
Non-AD/PP/CA – hang in there mate… This week , they should
Waiting to hear some good news….
Best of Luck…
Need clarification on whether Non-AD/PP have started receiving receipts or not. In the comment section I only see about AD/PP.
I think this week the results are getting out !
I am going to be selected 😀
One of my colleague’s check got cashed on Friday for NonAd/PP/VSC no receipts as of now. I am also waiting for my result . hope this week we can expect something
Multiple Applicants –
What are chances of selection if say some has applied 2 or 3 petitions ?
This is crazy!!. For how many years do you think this H1B abuse is going to go on like this before congress does something?
I am back right.I will do something.
I meant the US Congress
Ha ha ha…
Hey pappu
Non-AD/pp/CA results – can pls share latest status?
Non Ad/ PP /CA : Still Waiting 🙁 do you know anyone else who has got through ?
Anybody here with multiple applications got through the lottery…..
I think nobody got this time. Feeling happy that it increases our chance. I am in RP waiting for my turn.
Just wondering if anyone has received a notification of not being picked in the lottery.
You won’t get to know that now .
Once they finish processing all the selected ones they will start returning the ones that were not selected. Probably sometime last week of may or June .
Is there any hope for AD/PP/CA
I no for sure, they issued AD/PP/CA receipts until Friday (coz one of my friend gor this receipt # on sat with april 17 date) don’t know if they completed AD/PP/CA. Unfortunately, even I am still waiting for AD/PP/CA
Anybody applied via Tecommands inc . a fraud consulting company ?
Why did you apply through a consultancy knowing its fraud?
Why are people saying Vermont has not issued any receipts yet? I thought they did send out a number of receipts.?
Do you know anyone who has received an email receipt for AD/PP/Vermont?
So far I have read here that some people got email from their attorney with scanned copy of mail notification from uscis. If that is the case, USPS snail mail may take some time to reach the attorney’s office and we should wait till end of next week…
Thoughts?
Yes.. 5 of my friends have received.. PP receipts are always emailed and RP’s are mailed thro USPS.. Assuming Premium processing begins from 27th April, we should have all our receipts by this weekend..
Anyone from AD/PP/Vermont got receipt yet?
1.If yes, is it email notification or scanned copy of mail receipt from attorney?
2. Anyone from AD/PP/VT- Fragomen got the receipt? If so, same as Q.1..
Guys please reply, I am going crazy here, need to know if I have any chances left or not..
Don’t worry…VT has not sent out anything yet
I am NY. I was told my check was cashed on last Thursday. No further update so far. I hope I get the receipt in this week And all AD people. I’ll update u when i get it. Good luck
Did you receive receipt ?
Hi. I just (Monday April 20th 11 am) received my notice number from our lawyer.
Hope you all (especially AD) get yours soon.
They sent me the image of from I-797C (notice of action). from VT apparently they have received it through mail.
Hi
This is my first time I am going through this.
My query is the lottery system picks atleast some applicamts for each of the eligible employers who have applied or there can be cases where none of the applicants of the employer gets selected..
No clue (and probably not!). Everyone is guessing, nobody knows what logic is used by the USCIS lottery. Whether it retains at least one case/employer or whether it selects some folks for every job role, etc. I know its not helpful, but its the truth.
If two centers (California and Vermont) have received their own quota of applications and are issuing receipts independent of each other, it implies that each center had its own lottery, and that it was not one lottery for 2015, but 2 lotteries, one each at CA and VT. Further, assuming for example CA had 75% of AD/PP applications, and VT had the remaining 25% AD/PP applications, this would result in most receipts after each center’s lottery for AD/PP coming from CA and hardly any receipts for AD/PP from VT. Posts on this thread also point in this direction, but they are presuming that VT receipts are held up somewhere, but due to the above logic, there may not be many VT receipts at all. Does anyone here have any views on this aspect?
I think it is irrespective of 2 centers lottery conducted on total number of applications.
I have seen many of my friends from Vermont Center getting receipts in the past week. If some one post here doesnt mean the other center not getting it.
Till 16th no Vermont result, after that maybe I don’t know. But if someone says they got on or before 16th then they r lying
If physical applications are delivered to 2 different locations (CA and VT), and the data of each application is not processed prior to the lottery, it is technically not possible to conduct only one lottery for AD/PP for both centers, and this implies that both CA and VT must have conducted their own separate lotteries. Since hardly any receipts are issued by VT, it could mean that most of the receipts for AD/PP (out of quota of 20,000 for AD) are issued vt CA. There may actually be no more receipts for AD/PP coming out of VT. This seems unbelivable, but it could be true.
Technically possible.How? I think there is a center repository system for both centers.physical applications assigned to one format number ( barcode scanning) .They conduct lottery on these numbers .if selected then they issue reciept numbers based on centers EAC WAC etc.
It’s not a big deal now a days cloud computing advanced a lot .
I hope you are right and that there is one central unit conducting the lottery, though it does not explain why receipts for AD/PP are coming out of CA and none from VT. This creates a doubt about the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing since they may both be functioning independently of each other.
If my comments above are true, then this selection process is not exactly a pure lottery as we know it, but is a more selective process. Losing hope of any confirmation for my AD/PP from Vermont. Time to start looking at plan-B.
This is my guess only .no one knows how exactly they work or conduct lottery.Lets hope for the better .do not trigger plan B until we recive our application back in hand.
Yes, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. The worst is that OPT will expire by the time application is returned if not selected. So cannot wait indefinitely, hence a serious look at plan-B.
Did anyone applied through Bell Systems Inc Florida? Any response?
Is that over for AD/PP/CA folks ?
me too waiting +1
How to know the center which my employer filed my petition ?
It depends on your work location, following link will give you an idea.
usavisanow.com/h-1b-visa/h1b-visa-resources/uscis-addresses-for-h-1b-filing/
Hope this helps, Good Luck…:)
So kind of you. Thanks for the useful information. Wish you the same.
Any hope for Non AD/ PP / Vermont ??
Non AD/PP/VT…not started yet..
Hang in there… For all PP/Vermont guys, you still have time till next week.
No news, I’m Non AD/PP/VT. I have seen a lot of comments where apparently VT was not sending emails for PP, but mailing the receipts, because they had some problems with the system, so I don’t know what to believe
We can also come to know through cheque encash before receiving receipt.
I did not see anyone saying cheque encash for Non AD / PP / VT.
I applied under non advanced regular process,just I have few qns,please answer any one.
1)If I picked in lottery when cheque will deduct.
2) from Vermont center regular process is started or not ?
3)All cheques will encash on same lottery date or process by process?
4)if anyone picked from hyderbad regular process ?
1)If I picked in lottery when cheque will deduct.
may be after 2 days, and if employer tells you on this basis , it may take 2-3 more day for him to see bank statement and inform you in India , so assume 6-7 days ( including weekend)
2) from Vermont center regular process is started or not ?
Non Ad/ RP : probably not , it may start by mid of next week or by 27th , just hold tight till for any good news first week of may ( may be last week of april in best case)
3)All cheques will encash on same lottery date or process by process?
Process by process : see for Regular processing ( non AD) , even if you are selected in lottery , cheque might not have been sent for cashing yet ( may be packet is still not touched for processing — even if selected in lottery)
Hi,
any one logic planet… waiting..
@check,
I applied through logic planet did you get any response from them
Is there any hope for AD/PP/CA
AD/PP/CA here ..
Hey all,
Did anyone received receipt for non advance degree/ regular process.
am also waiting for same,any one please tell me all unprocessed result cheques claimed or not?
Wait till Wednesday … Don’t think its over yet …
All numbers are there from 1 to 10000.
Hi,
Did anyone got the reciept for non-ad/reg processing and also pls share how the algortham works.
This is second time I have applied…waiting for the result…
2012 – Something went wrong with application…. It did not go through in the company itself…..
2013 – Not selected in lottery….
2014 – Not selected in lottery…
2015 – ??????????????????????
So excited guys………………….. Good luck to all ……….4 tries and 5 years wait…..lets seeee ……..
Am not sure bro. Am on the same boat!!! If you receive anything please share it.
it should appear in the following month, be patient.
Guys
Why every one is so silent today ? These are funny blogs and really enjoying every day to hear from you all.
Please discuss more 😀
I like your multi-cultural name man!
Guys, Anyone heard of getting lottery selected from Texas???
I am still waiting for it . I am from Tyler, Texas.
Yes.. I got it.. I’m from Texas.. AD/PP
when did you got the receipt and what was the date on receipt?
Congrats bro!!! I am still waiting…
I am also from Texas and haven’t heard anything yet AD/PP/VT.
Screenshot of dis post needs to be posted to USCIS twitter handle. They too should be aware about how mentally sick a person can get waiting for d lottery results 😀
Anyone heard from Amazon, Seattle (Fragomen)? I haven’t heard anything. Did anyone else you know here of anything from Amazon?
Me too waiting from Amz. Not heard anything yet. :'(
One of my friends got it but i have seen many who did not.
When did your friend get it? And when was is approved? Did he get it by email from Fragomen?
Yes, he got email from them on 15 april
How many guys you know did not yet get the receipt? Only around 30 to 40% are expected to get.
If you r a Telugu guy, below reflects our current state…
Watch “h1 svsc” on YouTube – youtu.be/m5Ae-igTGNU
Non AD/RP Single pitition
Acording to my network friends who have gone through this process; h1b algorithm works as below.
As almost all of you aware that each job category is divided into separate SOCs.
each SOC will have separate allocation in cap. Eg: Engineers, doctors, computer programmers, statisticians, web designers etc. otherwise if requirement is less for Engineers, and in random more number of applications picked of engineers, it doesn’t help.
So although the application count is huge, if you belongs to less competitive SOC then you will have good chances of getting picked. Mine is in Statisticians. Hope there is less competition in my SOC and I will be picked. All the best for all of you.
@emigrant.
That would be good news for me. I am in a pretty specialized category. This is the first time I heard about this. Where did your friends get this info from?
Thanks 🙂
Stop spamming!!
Anyone from PwC got any response?
Hi
I applied under non advanced regular process,just I have few qns,please answer any one.
1)If I picked in lottery when cheque will deduct.
2) from Vermont center regular process is started or not ?
3)All cheques will encash on same lottery date or process by process?
4)if anyone picked from hyderbad regular process ?
Hey, I will be completing 5 years in USA on L1 by October, 2015. Is it wise to move to H-1B to prolong my stay in US and apply for GC immediately hoping that my labor will be approved within a year. Is this risk worth taking?
You are very late for this year mate….Should have applied by now and that is how you can prolong your stay… Get H1 – Apply for GC / Labour / I-140 ..
Option for H1-B this year is missed already. GC is your option and you can go for that without going for H1-B..
I do not believe that you can go on GC from an L1.
L2 -> GC is possible but as an L1 you cant really do much.
Correction: L1A is not possible but you can get it from L1B, which one are you ?
Correction AMZ_AD_PP Again : L1A is possible and not L1B…
L1A – managerial role, L1B – Specialized KNowledge
IF L1A, then fine, GC is pretty easy … but if on L1B , must get an H1 to get the GC process going
That is not exactly correct. You can apply for GC from both L1A and L1B.
If you are on L1A then you can extend for 2 more years for a total of 7 years. If you apply for GC on L1A you do not need to PERM certification which takes about 6-7 months (without audit) and you will be in EB1 category where the dates are current. So you will get your green card in about one year. This is excluding the time taken to prepare the documents and actually file the application.
If you are on L1B then there is a hard stop on number of years you can be in the US in one stretch – 5 years. If you apply for GC on L1B you need to PERM certification which takes about 6-7 months (without audit) and you will be in EB2 category where the dates are not current. They are still processing the applications from 2007. The difference is that if you are in H1 you will get an H1 extension in 3 year periods ( even after the full period of 6 years) provided your PERM and I-140 is approved. This is not the case with L1 where there is a hard stop after 5 years.
So to summarize, if you are on L1B, they can apply for your GC. But at the end of 5 years if you do not have a H1 you have to go back. You have to apply for a new L1 and come back only after 1 year outside.
Also there is no automatic conversion from L1->H1 if your GC is applied. You have to apply for your H1 under the normal CAP via the lottery
Advanced Degree/ Regular Processing:
Any updates guys on SEVIS update or any notifications…
Please reply all AD/RP here….. Help All…
Any idea for when would we hear news for AD/RP cases? !
By the end of April, first week of May. I am waiting too
I applied for h1 from indian mnc when can I came to know the lottery result, wat is the dead line.
there is no hard stop deadline, but about the middle of may is the longest you can wait..
wish you all the best, veer.
Hi,
Yesterday, I received I-797C (H4) for my wife. My company had filed for her along with my H1. Though I haven’t received any communication yet from my lawyer on my H1, do you think my H1 may have got picked up in lottery? No guesses please, I hope you understand my situation. Thanks!
PS: My opinion is that H4 receipt has to be generated irrespective of my H1 being picked up..
Your application selected in lottery…..cheers
Dear Friends,
Today, I have received notification from my employer that my application (AD/PP/VT) got picked in the random selection. I am yet to receive the receipt number.
I can understand this process can be very tedious and irritating. On 2013, my attorney did the mistake in my application. On 2014, my application didn’t get picked. I think, this is a part of life. But, I choose to reapply again. Please keep your all the options open. It could be anything. Be hopeful and optimistic but a same time realistic and a little bit of pessimist (it helps me many ways). If we are relentlessly focusing on our passion, we can achieve them.
Best wishes and regards