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

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. AD/RP/CSC here, still a bit hopeful but won’t lose my sleep over it anymore. I did what I could and hoped for the best. Rest is a mystery. If life will give me lemons, I will make a mango lassi out of it, good night guys.

    Reply
  2. i heard that some of the infosys guys got the updates yesterday … is that true… if its correct ….how many batches will be there for getting the updates…please help me if any of the infosys guy had an info…This is my second time and loosing the hopes gradually……

    Reply
  3. Hey Folks

    I have one question. My Employer has filed H1b for me this year and as chances are very slim now , so I want to switch my employer right away because my CTC is low. DO I need to take any Info regarding h1B from current employer which I may need when my next Employer apply H1B for FY2017?

    Reply
    • Keep patience for few days till mid of may or till last of may.Try to get info from Your employer for final update.Then decide to switch on others.

      Reply
      • As we did not hear back anything from my employer i.e. global IT firm. Me awaiting for that to have confirmation from them.

        Reply
      • Thanks for your reply. And yes i will wait till end of this month. Actually I am more concerned about filing h1b next time. Do they ask any info like lca number etc of previous h1b filed ?

        Reply
  4. I waited for long time. It was extremely important for me however it was not in my destiny. Dreams shattered. Life will be very difficult now but anyways I am happy that someone else in some corner of the world is happy. Good luck everyone. Life can be some time very harsh.

    Reply
  5. Hi Guys
    Last year I got receipt number 15th of May for RP so I am thinking same for this year also but I wanted to know by when USCIS finish the sending receipt .

    Reply
  6. I am from India.
    Non-AD/PP/CA

    For last 17 days (from April 14th) daily the first thing I did was to check my email (expecting an email from attorney) and check the Fragomen portal (to see any update in case status). But till today, there was no luck for me.

    Today I realised I need to be realistic instead of optoptimistic.
    I am pretty sure that next year I am not going to put my fate in lottery’s hands. I will try something else other than US companies companies.

    Signing off for this year.

    Good luck for everyone who is waiting 🙂

    Reply
  7. Category: NonAD/RP/CALIFORNIA
    My attorney sent scanned copy of the Form I-797C.
    In I-797C I see below information
    Receipt Number :XXXXX
    Case Type: I129 Petition For a Nonimmigrant Worker
    Received Date: April 13, 2015
    Notice Date: April 24, 2015
    Notice Type: Receipt Notice
    Amount received: $2,325.00 U.S.
    Class requested: H1B

    This forum given so much of valuable information. Thanks for all.
    I have applied for one petition from my company(u.s based)
    Still I am wondering how I got selected in this lottery…
    In the selection process I think they are using so many hidden criteria.
    No one know the criteria other than the s/w developer and the designer.

    Reply
  8. TCS guys..
    Any update…??? Seems like no one received the receipts yet.. By any chance USCIS ignored all TCS petitions as TCS made a big blunder in the layoff..!! :-p 🙁

    Reply
      • Arun, I know that, I just wanted to know whether it is holiday for them. Atleast our lazy folks will send the updates on Monday morning. Or else we need to sit at nights to check for the updates.

        Reply
  9. My brother year last filling more aplicatian which 2 selected 1PP/1RP . this year i follow same thing both my aplicatians picked.iM happy..best luck all.i from India Bareli

    Reply
  10. I have finally received my H1B receipt today, Its been a long trial to get to this point with 2 times for H1 lottery and Once for L1

    Finally the third trial for H1,today I see my application getting picked.
    Congrats to all those who received this year and best wishes to all the waiting friens

    Reply
    • My brother year last filling more aplicatian which 2 selected 1PP/1RP . this year i follow same thing both my aplicatians picked.iM happy..best luck all.i from India Bareli

      Reply
  11. Just got my h1b approval.
    I wish and pray that genuine and maximum number of AD and U.S. bachelors degrees get through lottery this time.

    Reply
    • Amen. I am a non-ad/rp candidate. Worked hard to earn my bachelors here in the USA and achieved a nice job (Alhamdulillah) in USA, and now praying hard for my receipt to come from USCIS this year.

      Congratulations to you on this great news.

      Reply
    • I thought mine was PP, because that is what my employers told me, then I realised it was RP, as a got only a hard copy receipt.. Notices were still being received today.. have faith

      Reply
  12. Hi All,
    My case was approved today. AD/PP/VT. USCIS Case Status Says:
    “Case Was Approved And My Decision Was Emailed”
    On April 30, 2015, we approved your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Receipt Number EAC……….. and emailed you an approval notice. Please follow any instructions on the approval notice. If you move, go to uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

    This was my second chance, an im currently on STEM OPT. I work for a fortune 10 company and my petition was not picked last year in the lottery. I feel sad for the fact that having an AD degree from ivy league with a good job is even not enough to survive in this country. You need shear luck to get H1.
    I can understand what pain all AD guys go though to finish their degrees, find an employer who can hire and sponsor you and then when you think all is as you planned. But wait then comes the lottery! How about putting best of talents under random h1 lottery where you fate is decided by so called random algorithm.
    I have been in this situation last year. Never the less, I am happy all went well for me finally. I pray for all those who are waiting and wish them luck.

    Reply
  13. Non-AD/RP/VT

    Wow…guys be leave in God and have faith in itself….it was 3rd time for me and now I did it….gid listen my prayers….got recpt no. today from my attorney…EAC 15144*****
    All the best to all of you….

    Reply
      • Was your actual receipt date Apr 15th or the one in case status page? My actual receipt date is 13th but case status shows it as 20th. From which date is the premium processing 15 days counted?

        Reply
      • one question, was your actual receipt date Apr 15th or the one in case status page? My actual receipt date is 13th but case status shows it as 20th. From which date is the premium processing 15 days counted?

        Reply
        • On Paper copy of Reciept:
          Received Date: April 13 2015
          Notice Date: April 15 2015

          On USCIS My case Status:
          04/15/2015

          We received your request for premium-processing of your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, and mailed you a receipt notice.

          04/20/2015

          We received your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, and emailed you a receipt notice. It is being processed at our Vermont Service Center location.

          04/30/2015

          We approved your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker.

          Reply
  14. Hope this lucky name works for me. I hear that my petition has been selected under Non AD/RP.
    Finger crossed. Waiting killing me.

    Reply
  15. Hey guys,

    Any idea when AD/RP/CA approvals will start to arrive based on previous years? I’m pretty sure I’m in one of the first batches (receipt dated April 17th).

    My guess: since all PPs should be adjudicated by May 11, AD/RP cases will follow right after, or even earlier.

    Reply
  16. My lawyer just received my receipt notice today! For those of you who are curious about the timing, my DSO told me my SEVIS changed to pending/showed Cap-Gap last Friday (4/24) and my notice date is 4/22. Good luck to everyone else still waiting to hear!

    Reply
  17. Hi,
    I came to know that my SEVIS status has changed to pending just today, but nothing from the lawyer yet, do you usually get the receipt first then the SEVIS status updates or vise versa?

    Thanks in advance! = )

    Reply
  18. hey guys, wanted to share this with my extended family which is all of you – just got my approval finally. Its been a long process of two-three years of a wait. thank you for all your wait.

    I will continue to lurk on these forums to answer other queries as well as be back next year to answer all new ones. thanks again!!

    Reply
    • Hey am happy for u.. I spoke to my attorney. He says this:
      We still have not learned whether or not *******’s petition has been selected for processing. There were more than 233,000 petitions submitted for the 85,000 available slots. We are still receiving receipt notices and we have not received any petitions back. So there is still a possibility that *******’s petition will be selected. As soon as we learn more, I will contact you immediately.
      Do you think PP people still hold a chance? Please reply..

      Reply
      • It takes time to get the answer. You still have a decent chance, though it’s not wise to depend just on this. For me, I came up with plan B to calm and secure myself.

        Reply
    • Hey buddy,so happy for you. Whenever i think of H1B, you are the first person i’m reminded of. I Don’t know any details about you, but the identity “h1bSlaughterAgain” is enough.Best wishes to you. Congrats for getting through. I’m on the same boat as you were couple of weeks. Anxious and feeling very jittery. Can you afford a prayer for me? I’m doubly hopeful that i will inherit your lucky charm

      Reply
      • Of course I can and of course I will. Will go out right after this message. Thr is a reason why I am still coming back to this blog. Even though I have my approval, it’s important for me to answer as many queries here as possible because I was in the same situation till like a week or two back.

        Anyways hoping you get yours soon. Stay strong and plan for plan B if you don’t have another shot, if you do, just enjoy life and work hard between now and next year if worst happens. Let’s hope it dosent… Hope you get to hear some good news soon. God bless.

        Reply
  19. Hi guys, PP AD CSC here

    My petition was picked and went to RFE. The reasons they mentioned are Employee Employer Relationship and Specialty Occupation, Client Letter. I was worried about the approval rate for these scenarios. Can anyone throw a light on this issue if you have an idea.

    Reply
    • Read This
      http://redbus2us.com/common-h1b-rfe-reasons-employer-employee-relationship-qualifications-status/

      http://redbus2us.com/common-h1b-rfe-reasons-vibe-specialty-occupation-petitioner-needs/

      Reply
    • RFE is not a big problem as far as paper are in place ( or can be arranged)

      Donot worry much , your employer has to take care and he shall

      you have time till oct , enjoy till then , booze and F*** some b****s

      Reply
  20. Any news from New York City?
    Did people have received receipts?
    I suppose big apple would start finding sooner than other states …is that correct?

    Reply
    • “I suppose big apple would start finding sooner than other states”
      Really? Seriously??
      Are you really that cocky? With THAT English?

      Reply
  21. I am not here to add fuel to the fire or make people jealous, just wanted to give people who got selected an update. Some people i know have already started receiving approval notices, whereas me, I am still stuck on selection. Hoping to get the approval notice soon and no funny business. Even though i feel better, still part of me is tensed and want to be done with this. As you all know i am a single applicant filling.

    For those waiting, please hang in thr, i know PP hopes are almost dashed but i would request you to call up your schools and see if you can receive a new I-20, usually on the 2nd page, the update will be thr, dont go by active or pending status.

    Reply
  22. Got it just today! Don’t lose hope!!! Receipt date is Apr. 27th. I guess I was in the so-called “wait list”. Premium processing, AD, CA.

    Reply
  23. the school official told me that my SEVIS status is Pending, does that mean that I have been selected in the Lottery? thanks

    Reply
  24. I just checked with my employer and got to know that my checks have not been cleared yet. Do i still have a chance ?
    Please let me know .
    Thanks

    Reply
  25. How much coding will it take for USCIS in their system to fish out all these duplicate application cases? Hardly anything. Anyone here will be more than happy to do it for them free of cost. They seriously need to improve their filtering process.
    What happens of the excess approvals of such candidates? Is there any concept of wait-list here?

    Also how on earth do these fake consulting companies do the paperwork for applications? Isn’t there a minimum local to H1B ratio to be maintained by the filing company?

    Reply
    • Agreed! USCIS needs to limit H1b visa on consultancy and give it more to people who study here. Coz more people from india are coming and getting greencard. USCIS found one way: just slow down these people greencard. Thats barbaric. Make it smooth. Give limited f1 visa and people who do get jobs here let them have h1b and greencard in shortest time possible! Idiots are hidden in USCIS! They have an intellectual capacity of a cabbage!

      Reply
      • It’s called lobbying. The congress won’t let such bills get passed because the reps and governors get paid a lot to not give in to the majority. Who pays them? Big corporations that rely on services of Indian companies. They can only put a check on the H1B cap but not on the limit of H1 from home country.

        Reply
  26. AD/RP/CSC . I’m still waiting but a few of my colleagues got their yesterday. Here is what I inferred:
    1. The employer doesn’t get all the receipts at once. In-fact those bearing the same date may appear on different days depending on when it was sent from USCIS.
    2. PP receipts are still being received. In fact some PP were received much after RP. So those waiting should carry some hope.
    3. A lot of RP/CSC were received in the beginning of this week but not so much since last two days. I think the same pattern will be seen next week. Can’t say the same thing about VT.

    Reply
      • Hi Guys,

        I know one of my frd(i feel so bad to say, he is my frd), who filled 3 application and 2 out of 3, selected in lottery.
        As of my information,
        he did 2PP+1RP
        SELECTED 1PP+1RP

        I dont know, how this filtering process working, need good coding to stop this B..S…multiple applications…

        Reply
        • Every person has a unique SSN. For those outside USA Passport# can be a unique identifier. It hardly take 20 lines of code to throw cheaters out

          Reply
    • Spent on 10 apps: good courage ,
      All the best : think of some good business too : you have a good risk bearing capacity

      Try some business here or in home country , sure you can be successful

      Reply
    • I know you are a fake and have applied only 1 application by paying though some consultancy like Deepa consultancy services (DCS), Vipul consultancy services (VCS). Indirectly you want us to curse the multiple application. I prefer to spend time on plan B.

      Reply
  27. Applied from 3 employers paying 4000 each and all the 3 got picked.. would i be getting refund if i withdraw couple of them?

    Reply
  28. Anyone from desi consultancies got approval notice. My was selected in the lottery on 14th April. Still no approval. Others on 16th are getting approvals. Can any guys here confirm if any desi consulting got aproval I was in AD/PP

    Reply
  29. I see that people talk about deserving candidates. According to me all the candidates whose petitions were filed are equally deserving.
    If someone is more deserving then he rather be an american in his next life.

    Reply
    • True, there should not be discrimination on the basis
      of Bachelors / Masters
      Leaving caste based or any based politics behind finally

      All who has applied has a fair chance , and those people who apply multiple apps , have more chance , more probability : Simple math

      What to crib about ?
      Those who risk more money : bought more chances : Pure lottery
      ( and those who did Masters , they spend more money : for more luck , this way or that way , for H1 it’s again there way of buying opportunity : All the best)

      All the best to AD / NON Ad both : do whatever in life : be happy

      and do not crib on what others do

      Reply

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