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 ?
anyone from CTS got their receipt notification today ? did anyone raise GSD to know the status ? if yes, what did they reply ?
Friend, I got my receipt yesterday from VT. No use in raising GSD. You can expect your receipt till May 15th. After that chances are very less. This is from my last year experience. Don’t lose hope.
Non AD/RP
I am so happy.Today my friend got news from employer that his H1b got picked in lottery..
Don’t loose hope.
All the best for all waiting for lottery ..
TCS guys,did anyone receive any mail?
working in TCS,last year got my H1B.
In TCS we will get lottery updates in may last week or June 1st week.They will release batches wise.Contact FDFU team in may last week.
Got receipt today
Nonadv/regular/ wac
Wac15141511xx
Name starts from d.
Congrats dude..
Just want to check – Name starts from d ?? your name (or) your employer name
anyone from infobeans pune got updates from HR
I opened my compnay email and saw that email is from immigration dept. Damn my heart started pounding and was afraid of checking the body content of mail. I almost thought it must be the good news . Somehow I managed to open the body of part of email and this was written.
” We have not received any updates from our lawyers and will keep you accordingly”.
and My face was like 🙁 Why the F*** they have to send a mail , God is playing with my emotions
even i am in same boat, when i opened my mail i found the following content
“Dear XXXXXX,
I am writing to let you know that, to date, we have not received any communication from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) regarding the H-1B petition we filed on your behalf approximately a month ago. Once we do receive any communication from USCIS, we will notify you immediately. Thanks”
WTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
May 4th is my day. Got it finally on 3rd attempt.
I may not look at this site again !
Anyone from Infosys got the receipt number updated in AIMS??
We havent got here. Seems like it may take a week.
Please, let us know if any one got their receipt number for the Infy employees in AIMS.
Thanks
One of my colleague from Infy received an update in AIMS says – “acknowledgement notice received from USCIS”
No update yet.
Got update yesterday on AIMS. This was second time for me. Hope all yours get selected too. Thanks.
By now, many people have got positive updates. AIMS got updated on 1st May for them. All the best to all of us who are still waiting and especially to those who are again waiting for the second year consecutively.
Yes, A few got on last tuesday and a few got this monday.
Anyone from CTS Hyd, California Center received their receipt?
One of my colleague from CTS Bangalore got it yesterday and it is from WAC.
I already lost hope 🙁
As Chances of H1B is very slim now , i am considering to ask my employer to file L1B for me. I just have one question , if they deny L1B , do they return the processing fees ? L1B experts , please help.
I think “No”. But i am not a immigration lawyer.
As far i know, they do not return the fee; because getting an L1 is not about luck, rather your L1 interview; where they try to gauge that whether you hold rare skills and expertise; which is required in USA!
Waiting ad/rp…
mjs
still waiting AD/RP…
God help me!
Bow down to multiple petitioners. Not heard of ne RFE..
Bitter truth – being genuine doesn’t work..
Second attempt-Advance degree
Goodbye- redbus2US
don’t lost your faith in God!
God will help us.
1 Application genuine AD/RP- Wiating
plz god listen my pray….
aek tu hi bharosa….
Hi all,
Non ad/rp/vt… Does the new from USCIS mean it’s all over ??
Still hoping and trying my luck with the name :)..
Wish you all the luck…
I got my receipt yesterday after the USCIS notice my notice date was 21st April but received my receipt after two weeks. U can still wait for 2 more weeks.
They have completed the data entry, will start returning petitions.
NonAD/RP/VT second attempt
should I keep hope or not??
Just received my receipt no. today.
Notice date : 27th April
All the best to everyone!
Trying my luck too. Third timer.. Feeling devastated?
Just woke up and saw the email that my case has been selected in the lottery. Best of luck, everyone !
Waiting !!!
where’s wipro ooc/gims?
hope not all fired?
looks like they are smart but actually its BS…
Many folks waiting, why they are not listening …
Hey Friends
Since USCIS Completed the Data Entry of all H1B cap exempt , does it mean that at this point of time the cheques has been encashed ? , or still USCIS will encash it in this week.
Can we decide based on this ?
Does it mean that all the checks of selected applications are encashed??
Getting receipt is now a piece of gold..feeling sad now.. no news from my employer.. single genuine application Non AD/ RP..
Thank God, Received my H1B Receipt number from my employer this morning. Can you please let me know. How to validate if the receipt number belongs to me ? When I searched on USCIS it does not show my name. Thanks.
It wont….ask your attorney to scan the receipt and send it to you.
Does it mean.. Game over for Non-AD/RP as well?
is there still hope for NON AD/RP/VM ->>>>???
Guys,
Can you please let me know where we have to check the h1b status.Because when I saw it differed from previous years where they had all activities at one page.Now there is nothing like that.
@raghavsaih1b
you can see the status in this site by typing your case no
egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do
@Siva
Thank you so much.How long will it take for approval.
@raghavsaih1b…There is no time limit,, if you don’t get RFE. It will approve soon.. else it take time…
tomorrow shall be my day!!!!
Guys, no need to worry for those who applied from india.
Initially it will go to our organization US branch and then it will come to India. Our organization will not notify us as soon as our name picked in lottery. Once USCIS process the application it is considered as H1B selected . After this organization will have internal process and then we will get notified. So be can for next : week. Ideally game is now started for those who applied from india. Let’s wait for the best.
Anyone got mail from TCS or updated in visa tracker page?
Not till now…
Trying my luck 😉
Anyone from Capgemini got a update?
Non ad/RP and nothing more was informed to me by the consultancy firm…just trying my hard luck..:) may God give me some good news on my bday 🙂
crap..not true
The above is official news from USISC, just go though their site.
ya ya .. bt can still wait this week as receipts trigger shud take some time
Just came across this site – any hopes for AD/PP/VT?
Any update it in Aims for infosys?
Not yet here. Heard one person got in the entire DC here. So complete results yet to come.
Which DC? Seems Hyd and Chennai have got. But no info abt bangalore
I got it yesterday. Thanks.
Dear All,
Non Ad/RP here, 2nd attempt.
With the USCIS announcement today, I am losing hopes every hour.
I am still believing that the Snail Mail will deliver my receipt sometime this week, but the odds seem to be against as time passes by.
All the best!
Hoping this name would provide some luck to me !!
Does it mean that game is over?
Got the news today AD/RP/CA.
I am still waiting for the result…. Trying my luck…
What does status ‘Case Was Received’ mean? Does it mean it was picked in lottery?
Yes, congrats
How did you know that the case was received…
Received file num from employer and checked status of the receipt on USCIS site.
After waiting for 3 long weeks finally received my receipt today AD/RP/VT!!
Final got receipt notice!!! Faith in master’s restored…. All the best to all waiting 🙂
Just notified by HR, mine got picked up – felt like a heart attack.
HR notified at 1 pm PST, they received it in mail.
I have been reading the comments on this blog since the start of H1b- lost all my hope and started thinking about plan B.
Don’t lose hope, but keep working on your plan B.
AD/RP/CSC
I rarely see any ones’ application not being picked in the lottery this time. Almost every ones application has been picked. 9/10 from my company passed thru lottery. Does that sound like some thing is fishy?
It just means that in some company only one of the 10 applications got picked.
Not only that, I see every ones application being selected sooner or later.. It wasn’t like this last year. I do not know any body whose application has not been selected even those who have filed multiple applications got thru with all their applications. So guys who are yet to get an update, do not worry it would definitely be positive. Good Luck!
My company filed around 12 applications. 4 of them got receipts today. Does that mean all others are rejected?
Just got the receipt from lawyer today. AD/RP/CSC
Received date: Apr, 13
Notice date: Apr, 30
Thanks for all the information from this website and good luck!
what time were you notified
Hope my cheque gets encased today & receive receipt tomorrow. Slim chances but will wait. Nonad/RP