If you were one of the unlucky ones not picked in whopping 233,000 H1B 2016 Lottery Applications , you might be already wondering when is the next H1B season going to start. Also, some of you may be studying in US and some working abroad and planning to work in US next year. This page will be constantly updated with the latest details and commonly asked questions around the next upcoming H1B Visa fiscal year of 2017 season news and updates.
[alert type=”warning” close=”false” heading=”H1B Visa Cap reached for FY 2017, Lottery Done “] On April 7th, H1B Cap for FY 2017 was reached. Lottery was done on April 9th. Read News Summary – Over 236,000 Petitions for FY2017 [/alert]
- H1B 2017 season start date ?
- H1B Cap for FY 2017- Regular ? Masters ?
- H1B 2017 Predictions? Lottery?
- H1B Lottery Myths ?
- How to plan for H1B FY 2017 ?
- How to find H1B Sponsors for FY 2017 ?
- What is H1B Fee ? Details
- Any impact of Comprehensive Immigration Reform(CIR) on H1B
- What is H1B LCA
- H1B 2017 Premium Processing
- H1B 2017 Case Tracker
- Latest News Update of H1B 2017
- When is the next H1B Season ?
- Sample H1B Reject Notices for FY 2017
When will the H1B visa 2017 season start ? Date ?
Short answer April 1st 2016. Typically, USCIS will start to accept petitions for the next fiscal year starting from April 1st of the previous fiscal year. USCIS fiscal year is from October 1st to September 30th. So, for H1B quota of fiscal year 2017, which starts from October 1st, 2017, USCIS would typically accept applications from April 1st, 2016. The H1B Visa 2016 season started on April 1st of 2015. Also, in the H1B Rejected Notices of 2016, USCIS mentioned that, the non-selected candidates can file H1B petitions for FY 2017 on or after April 1st, 2016.
USCIS announced on March 16th, 2016 that they will accept FY 2017 petitions from April 1st, 2016. Read Summary of USCIS press release FY 2017 .
Also, we have written an article summarizing on What to expect in H1B FY 2017 Season
What is H1B 2017 Cap ? What are the H1B 2017 Quota numbers ? Regular vs Masters ?
If you new to H1B, I suggest you read All about H1B Visa Cap- Regular vs Masters. In simple terms H1B cap is a congressional mandated maximum number of petitions that USCIS can accept in a year. As of now, below are the H1B cap number for fiscal year 2017. The below numbers are confirmed in press release by USCIS on Mar 16, 2016.
- Regular H1B Quota : 65,000
- H1B Master’s Degree Quota ( only US Master 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.
There have been many discussions around change in H1B cap numbers by Obama administration since 2013. The planned proposal was to increase the regular quota cap to 110,000 and Masters quota to 25,000. No changes for FY 2017, the above numbers of 65,000 and 20,000 are officially confirmed by USCIS in their press release.
What is H1B Visa 2017 Prediction? Will there be Lottery again for FY 2017
Update : USCIS Updated on April 12th, 2016 that they have received over 236,000 petitions for FY 2017 quota and the lottery was completed on April 9th.
Looking at the past trend of H1B season in the past three years, we could very likely have lottery for FY 2017. Last year for FY 2016 quota, there were 233,000 applications. We have done a detail analysis with the H4 Visa EAD rule in place considering the economy, students graduating, OPT news, etc. You should read article H1B Visa 2017 Lottery Prediction News, results, Date .
If H1B lottery, will there be any preference in lottery for Large companies ? Premium Processing
Well, no preference for anyone, all are treated equally, including premium processing. There are many such misconceptions about lottery process, we have compiled a list of such myths and criteria, you should read Myths of H1B Lottery, Criteria
When to plan for H1B visa 2017 Application ? How soon ? What should be the strategy ?
It is never too late to start planning for your H1B 2017 season. If you plan to work in US on H1B visa in the next coming fiscal year, below are some suggestions based on your situation.
- F1 Student in USA : If you are studying on F1 visa and about to graduate in next one year, you should seriously look at finding an internship or co-op at companies that can sponsor your H1B visa. You can search for H1B Sponsors in a particular area using our H1B Sponsors Search Tool and try to get an internship to work there on CPT or OPT after you graduate. This is a strategic move and will require sometime, so plan well.
- Professional from outside USA : If you are a working professional outside US, planning to work in US on H1B, your best bet is to find Multinational companies that have major US presence and secure a job there, so that you can position internally for applying to H1B visa, when the season starts. This is a very strategic decision, you need to carefully assess your options, speak to the company if such options exist and then only choose it.
- Other H4, L1 Visas : If you are on these visas, your best bet is to find companies just like I mentioned for F1 students that sponsor H1B visas and start interviewing and keeping the conversation going so that you can ask them to file H1B when the season starts.
We have put together a Step by Step Plan on How to apply for H1B 2017 Quota
How do I find a H1B Visa Sponsor – The most asked million dollar question ?
If you are student in the US, it is very straight forward, you find the list of H1B Sponsoring companies using the tool in an area as I mentioned above and get an internship in one of them so that they can sponsor your H1B visa. Unlike, if you are coming from outside US, it can be tricky. If you work for an Multinational company ( MNC), then they will have some internal process to pick the candidates and then process H1B visa for them…The other option that has been used and abused is the consulting companies route…Many a times, the H1B aspirants approach a body shop IT consulting company to file H1B for them and they apply for the same. It gets nasty with the body shop consulting companies. The comments on this H1B Companies Reviews article are quite eye opening. I advise, you beware of the consulting companies and avoid fraud. Also, WE as RedBus2US do NOT provide any guidance or assistance or sponsor anything. If someone claims that, it is pure fraud and they are trying to trick you, we are not responsible for that. Please be careful. Anyways, for various other options , You may read article How to find H1B 2017 Sponsors
What is the H1B visa 2017 filing fee ? Is it same or any changes ?
It changed slightly this year with the Omnibus Bill passed in December 2015, that will increase the H1B filing fee by $4000 for FY 2017, until 2025 for certain companies that have over 50 employees and have more than 50% of their employees as H1B or L1 visa holders in USA. Check USCIS Guidelines on H1B Fee increase. Depending on the size of the company, the H1B filing fee can vary anywhere from $1,600 USD to $7,400 USD + Attorney Fee. There are various fees components that make up this number range, for more details Read Summary of H1B Filing Fee 2017 – Who pays for What ? . Below is a high level summary. Also, one key change is that, there was $2000 USD additional filing fee as per Public Law 111-230, this law expired on Sep 30, 2015 and that is not included anymore.
| H1B Fee Component | Fee in USD |
| Base filing fee | $325 |
| AICWA Fee | $750 or $1,500 |
| Fraud prevent & detection fee | $500 |
| Fee based on Public Law 114-113 ( if applicable) | $4000 |
| Premium processing fee (Optional) | $1,225 |
| Immigration Attorney Fee | Varies from $500 to $3000 |
What about Comprehensive Immigration Reform(CIR) and Obama Executive Actions for H1B 2017 Quota Increase ?
There has been many articles and discussions since 2013 around immigration reform by President Obama and changes around and some like below have been discussed in the last couple of years, nothing moved significantly.
- 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 ( Part of this came up as the fee increase in Omnibus Bill )
- Additional H1B rules to avoid H1B Visa fraud by employers
- Mandatory LCA posting for 30 days before it is certified.
The current status on all of the above are basically “No updates”, there are no set deadlines for any of them and none of these are happening for FY 2017. You may read Summary of CIR Changes to H1B . Officially as per press release on March 16, 2016, the H1B cap is confirmed to be 65,000 for regular and 20,000 for masters…hence, no changes.
What is LCA for H1B Visa ? Processing times ?
LCA is a form that has to be filed with US Dept of Labor and get it certified before filing H1B petition with USCIS. It has to be sent along with H1B Package to USCIS. It has all the relevant information about the job position like wage, location, title, etc. It takes about 7 working days for processing of the LCA by US Dept of Labor (DOL). You can read complete details at Why is LCA Needed for H1B – Processing Time, Salary
USCIS Updated in their original press release on March 16, 2016 that the premium processing will begin no later than May 16, 2016. But, on April 22nd, they updated that the premium processing for FY 2017 will begin on May 12th, 2016. What it means is that the official 15 calendar day SLA for premium processing petitions will be starting from 12th. USCIS may process the petitions early as well, but officially their clock starts on that day.
H1B 2017 Case Tracker :
Did you apply for FY 2017 ? We have put together a tracker along with good graphs for analysis. It is completely anonymous as we do not capture your case number or any personal information. It is community contributed data, the more you add, the better for everyone, including You !
[prompt type=”left” title=”Track your H1B Case” message=” Anonymously Track your H1B Case – Share and Get updated from Community.” button_text=”H1B 2017 Case Tracker” href=”https://redbus2us.com/trackers/h1b-visa-tracker/”]
Most Recent News of FY 2017 H1B
Below is the most recent news regarding H1B 2017 season. You can check the updates page as indicated below for the full history and details.
- July 8th, 2016 ( Official ) : USCIS released a press note today indicating that they have completed returning all the petitions that were not selected in the H1B lottery for FY 2017. Read More details here
- May 2nd, 2016 ( Official Update ) : USCIS updated that data entry is complete for selected petitions in lottery. if you were selected, you should receive receipt notices in 2 to three weeks. If not, the chances are very slim to get selected. You should look at your plan B. Read H1B Data Entry Complete Article for full details
- April 22nd, 2016 : (Official Update) USCIS Updated that they will start premium processing from May 12th, instead of May 16th.
- April 12th, 2016 – 6:30 PM EST : Official Update : USCIS released a press note that H1B lottery was completed on April 9th and they received over 236,000 petitions for FY 2017 quota. Read Press Release Summary
- April 12th, 2016 – 11:50 AM CST ( Unofficial Update ) : It is reported on blog by attorney ( immigrationgirl ) that they have received about 40 email receipts of Premium Processing. What it means is that USCIS has already conducted lottery. We will keep you posted with updates. If I am not wrong, they are just drafting the press release now.
[prompt type=”left” title=”H1B 2017 – Latest News Updates” message=” Most recent and complete history of all latest breaking news updates from Official sources like USCIS and Unofficial sources for FY 2017 Season.” button_text=”Latest H1B 2017 News” href=”https://redbus2us.com/h1b-visa-2017-cap-count-updates-tracker-news/”]
When is the next H1B Season ?
The next H1B season starts on April 1st, 2017. Wondering about your next chance for H1B and various details about the next H1B season, check out H1B Visa 2018 FAQs
Sample H1B Reject Notices for FY 2017 ?
USCIS has started to mail out the reject notices for FY 2017 petitions that were not picked in lottery. It says that the start date for next year H1B season is April 1, 2017. You can check out the Sample Reject Notice for FY 2017, Details
We have many more FAQs around H1B Visa 2017. We will continue to keep updating the page with latest news and updates regarding FY 2017. Bookmark this page and keep checking for updates.
236000 Final Count
Lottery alreday done on 9th April
immigrationgirl.com/236000-h-1b-petitions-filed-in-fy-2017-lottery/
236,000 applications
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
USCIS received over 236,000 H-1B petitions during the filing period, which began April 1, including petitions filed for the advanced degree exemption.
USCIS junst announced they completed the selection process. 236,000 petitions!
Same as last year. This is going to be tough again.
3rd attempt!!!
This year’s number —- 236K
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
true. uscis released it
still didnt get anything in 4th attempt.
Here is the official statement from USCIS:
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
Guys USCIS just updated the result here.
bit(dot)ly/202JKxl
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
236000 applications !
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
236 000
Kumatunga this is FARZI news!!!
Official tweet
WOW it is 236k
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
No it’s not a lie. The news is not on USCIS main page
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
farzi
No where on USCIS website nor tweeter. Stop making up naumbers
There is a tweet
how do you know?
link? I don’t see it on USCIS new release or alert
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
Official Update:
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
I can’t post the link here as it is waiting for moderation..
Try below one..
https www dot uscis dot gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
236,000 H-1B petitions this time, ohhhhhhh.
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
It’s Official : 236000 Application for 2017 Cap
Please refer below URL :
uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2017
Second time AD PP CA single application. Fingers crossed!
All the best to genuine applications!
Did you receive any notice?
No I have not.
Status : Second time AD PP CA
No updates yet . Check is not cashed yet.
What is the difference between Receipt No and Case Number?
Same, I think.
I received my notice last year on 4th of May so there will be hope til last and by the way I applied under MS degree and regular petition.
Another way to try if petition is picked or not:
1) Call international office at your school and check if there is any update on your sevis or not. I did last year until end of april and I lost hope after that but after receiving my receipt I called again on 5th of may and there was an update in my sevis
2) If possible check with employer that their checks got cashed or not ?
All the best to all.
I applied under AD PP California. My check is not cashed . Does it mean I am not selected or I should still wait ? My stem opt is expiring in MAY so I have to take decision quickly I guess.
Yes. I was asking my employer till end of april and they were saying no but on morning of 4th of April my manager came to my office and informed me that their check cashed and later that same day I received receipt from my attorney. I think its not fast 2-3 days process and it seems whole process takes few weeks to process 85000 petitions.
In my I797C notice it was like this:
Application received: April 13th 2015
Notice date: April 30th 2015
But I applied in Premium so if it was selected ; should be notified by email today right ? As I see everyone started getting notification if selected.Really confused now. This is my last chance. Will get salary of this month from my employer as STEM Opt is expiring end of this month.
I don’t think USCIS will be send all premium petition within a day so wait for next few days and call your school DSO to check SEVIS update until next week. All the best.
All the receipts are for AD PP only ??
If you are not PP, come back after two week.
I don’t see that USCIS released press note last year 2015 for number of application received and lottery conducted date in USCIS website. But i see 2014 press release on April 10th that they completed the lottery and the total number of application received was 172,500.
I searched News release by filtering the date in USCIS website uscis.gov/news-releases
it is there please filter again and check
Yes they released note on April 13 that they received total 233000 petitions and finished random process.
filter on Alert for 2015
This could be a strategic move from USCIS and US since the US presidential elections are coming up and they are not disclosing the total count number for H1B !!
was it the same last year or previous years when lottery was done and USCIS without publishing any news did the lottery and started sending receipts?
The guys who are selected in second or third attempt should be actually happy:
1) They know the worth of it and the hapiness it brings. Water is a miraculous liquid for a lost wanderer in desert which we never appreciate while sipping it.
2) For people on OPT, you saved 2-3 years of additional taxes which you end up paying on H-1B. And they are lot.
Definitely, getting picked up in lottery in the final 3rd attempt with only one application always does feel great!
No you still pay taxes under OPT
no fica taxes for f visa
Um? I paid my full tax while on OPT lol what the.
ah FICA tax. nvm. got you
Congratulations to one who got picked up in lottery and All the best for others who are waiting for the results (Including me :)).
I think there is definitely lot of changes in USCIS process this year. No public announcement of lottery date but completed the lottery. When they released press notes on April 7th , they stated that “Due to the high number of petitions, USCIS is not yet able to announce the date it will conduct the random selection process” . But they completed lottery within next three days. Looking at all these difference in usual processing i think this time the number of application must be lesser than last time.
Whatever it is we have to wait for our turn .
My friend used to say this ” BEFORE COMING TO USA ITS PLEASURE, AFTER COMING TO USA ITS PRESSURE”
Absolutely … First you ask entry VISA->extension->GreenCard … then you are stuck as every process has its own timeframe and you also parallelly build your commitment in india and USA and struggle lik sandwitched…
Got it…Just got a receipt from Attorney…this is my 2nd time…relieved a bit now compared to my post in the morning..
wow! cool you guys started receiving receipts that your application is selected? how i dont know LOL..USCIS has not published any news regarding this or the lottery count..wierd? am worried..if mine is selected or not..eagerly waiting 🙁
I haven’t received any notice yet, neither. But keep your hopes up. Maybe we have lousy lawyers who are late forwarding notice e-mails. Or they haven’t sent a receipt notice to our lawyers.
i agree however without any news from USCIS, ppl receiving receipt notices, isnt that wierd? i am really worried as its my 1st time and i want to go to US 🙁 did lots of struggle to reach at this position you know..
I just contacted my employer to know if they received any notice and they said no update on any of their cases 🙁 i guess very few selected from my employer 🙁 hope thats not the situation.
You are AD PP?
Consider this: if they have conducted the lottery and picked 20k advanced degrees, how long is it going to take them to open all those applications and send individual emails? They can’t do it in a day, even if they wanted to. From a practical perspective, it has to take some time. At least several days.
yes advance degree and my friend is bachelors..both in premium
Let’s give USCIS several days for a notification before starting to worry. And even then, AD cases will be entered into the second lottery for undergrads. This can take 4-6 weeks even with PP.
Anyone knows if LIN service center also start sending out receipts? So nervous waiting!
hmm ok and you are saying that ppl who did bachelors will have to wait till weeks to get a reply or that lottery is also done? just curious for my friend
Do you guys realize that while you are sitting there , there is a dumb random number generator program decides the shape of your future ? and you can’t do anything about it but wait …..
Very sad .. isn’t it ?!
SO? WHAT’S YOUR POINT?
Point is life is bigger than this lottery;
Yes, thats why I am proposing the following:
1. petitions should be selected in descending order of salary, just arrange in descending order, select top 85000 and be done with it.
2. beneficiaries with PhD and 5+ work experience be put ahead in line of MS (or 2 to 3 yr work experience).
3. calling Donald Trump to eradicate H1-B program altogether as there already exists O1 visa program for industry to bring in ‘brilliant’ foreign workers.
Looking at the success rate I now firmly believe this time number of count is less than last year.
I hope you’re correct but right now, only approvals are posting because rejections are not out. It may seem like a good year but you’ve only heard the good news – the tip of the iceberg.
I know there’s no exact released number but is there an estimation or assumption of the ratio between AD and RC? e.g. 50k AD and 183k RC in last years lottery (made up these numbers. looking for correct ones)
Hi Guys,
I just got receipt number from my lawyer.
THIS IS MY THIRD TRY and LAST TRY!!
I JUST DID ONE APPLICATION AND IT’S PICKED.
My case : AD/PP/Vermont center
Good luck to everyone!!
MY HUMBLE REQUEST TO ALL US MASTER STUDENTS : ” PLEASE DO NOT DO MULTIPLE APPLICATION THROUGH DIFFERENT EMPLOYER OR FOR DIFFERENT POSITION. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!”
Just try hard and work hard…you will get it for sure 🙂 Again good luck to everyone and thanks a lot to redbus team!!
-MS Software Devleoper
Congrats. This was my second attempt AD/PP. I received the receipt yesterday night. I really want all AD single application candidates to be picked in the lottery. Stay positive guys! Your turn will come soon.
LOL, what you say means nothing, our turn will come only if selected in the random selection process.
Big Congrats! I am still waiting. Hope I can be the lucky one as well!
Congratulations 🙂
same, wish for every AD applicant to go through, hang in there.
Which service center did you apply?
Thanks. VT.
Last time I was not lucky, my application was not picked in lottery. This time my employer applied again. I really waited for all through the year. Now I am not sure If I really want to go. For some times I think I am happy here and I shouldn’t get visa this time also, but some other times I think of my San Francisco(my work location) dreams and my hard-earned job …. confused :/
OMG I can’t do anything but refreshing this page. Im SOOO ANXIOUS. PLEASE GOD PLEASE.
I’ve been there. Wish you GOOD luck!!! Pray for you…
I’m too.. Where are you from Ky??
12 hours more
When USCIS will announce no of applications received for FY2017?
@Data analysis
Where r you and your + or – 190k ???
I am still standing by 250k firmly
Theres a storm coming, hope it will hit tomo
Any receipts from LIN service center? Good luck to all of us!!!
Hi guys,
I got my H1-B last year and I can still feel the pain. I agreed with someone that we should always got a backup plan. But all plans other than H1-B was a “Plan B” for me, they were not optimum. I wanted my “Plan A”. I was struggling for months last year, no matter how my families and my colleagues cheered me up…
And now, I‘ve gotten it for a year and I can finally do some subjective thoughts. Am I really happy being here? My families and close friends are thousands miles away. Sometimes, I feel I belong somewhere else. On the other hand, I enjoy my job, the culture and the atmosphere here a lot.
What I am trying to say is, everything has both pros and cons, and such thing like H1-B, is not something comes from hardworking, striving or even a fancy degree. It is all about destiny and fate. Since then, why we waste too much time and energy on it. It is something you cannot control, so just let it go. Don’t let panic ruins the beautiful season and even several months of your life. Just go out, enjoy the weather, take a walk, eat something you like, do a little exercise, watch movies and go somewhere close but you’ve never been. Always remember: the journey is all. Enjoy what it gives you.
Stay positive and wish you all the best!
If this helps:
I was a PP ADV VT, handled by Fragomen and I got “selected” on April 20th last year and was approved on 29th. I am a MBA.
Hello Kate, and everyone who may be in my boat,
Every word resonates with me. USA is not the end of my job career, but it hurts to see a life changing decision being made by a lottery.
Totally agree! Wish you good luck!:)
Thanks Kate… such a beautiful lines. Really makes me feel good .
I’m glad it can make you better a little:) Wish you GOOD luck!
I also got receipt for two of my petitions. Qualcomm and Microsoft. What to do now?
Please share details about where receipts are from – Vermont or California service center? Thank you!
Thanks for ruining the chance of someone who went by the book and only filed one petition. It is because of people like you the lottery has become a joke and there is such vitriol against Indians abusing the system.
He is not doing anything wrong. Both the companies he mentioned are top organization.
Anybody getting a chance to file multiple petitions through genuine employer is perfectly fine.
The problem is people paying money from their pocket to file petition through non-existing companies. In this case filing even 1 petition is wrong.
QualComm. Good Luck. I had a good 3 year stint in QualComm.
Congrats on your lottery!
Still No official news
Just received notification from lawyer and finally got picked up in lottery in my final 3rd attempt 🙂
sandy, congrats! I assume you are AD/PP, right? Did you send it to Vermont or California?
Thanks and yes, it’s AD/PP and a long wait! I believe it’s Vermont center.
Thank you for sharing with your info, Sandy12! I am very happy for you. 🙂
Hey guys there is a way to know the exact number of petitions….
Go to twitter and ask them…..
Saw many posts in twitter where they are replying to people’s queries.
Does USCIS send receipt # to employer or to the employee or to the attorney involved?
AD/PP two timer,
It will be send to the employer or an attorney, if one is assigned as representative for the case.
Wooow.. Look at the number of Indians trying to steal american jobs.. good luck to all of you..
up!
Hi, this is my first year applying for the h1b visa. I don’t understand why people under AD / PP are already getting notified when USCIS said they would give official notification of lottery selection in the week of May 16th? Like this is more than a month earlier than they said and there is no official statement on their website regarding that the lottery has been conducted
First of all, don’t panic!
Well, I believe USCIS will give an explanation. This is not the end.
I didn’t apply under AD / PP, I only have a BA, but my firm did apply under Premium Processing, so I don’t expect to hear anything back soon haha so not really panicking just trying to understand what is happening right now. So is this the first time that AD/PP people are getting notified this early without an official USCIS statement?
JK,
USCIS said that everyone who applied in PP and got selected, will be notified by May 16. They can very well start notifying people now. May 16 date was selected so that USCIS has enough breathing room to process PP applications. PP applications have a 15 day SLA and they don’t want to rush through thousands of PP applications within those 15 calendar days. Making that announcement gives them until May 31 to process all PP applications.
I am expecting USCIS to update the website with lottery results soon, maybe today or tomorrow.
It is possible USCIS has conducted lottery of just AD applications at the moment which were subject to 20K cap. They still need to run the lottery for non-AD applications and AD applications that didn’t make through first lottery (65K cap). This is holding them back from making the official announcement on their site.