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H1B Visa 2017 – News, Quota, Cap, Predictions, Lottery, FAQs

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]

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 

H1B Visa 2017 Premium Processing Time :

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.

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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23,619 Comments

  1. If this is true then from both Center USCIS may be processing approx. 3000 applications (1500 – VT + 1500 – CA)

    so far it is 5 days since they started sending the notices. So 5 * 3000 = 15000 to be safe side lets assume it is 20000. That means still 60000 needs to be sent.

    and out of 60000 no body can figure out how many are still PP because there is no limit of who can use PP feature and who cannot.

    60000 = 20 days means around 10th May . (Official date is May 16)

    PP guys lets not loose hope .

    AD PP CA LAST CHANCE

    Reply
  2. Here’s what I just read from ImmigrationGirl for people who said PP is done.

    “Emily, I remember last year your AD/PP/VT was 70%+. Assuming the same acceptance rate as last year, there’s still quite a bit possibility to receive more AD/PP. Is that right?

    I don’t know if it will get up to 70%, but I do still think it should go up.”

    Reply
  3. Seriously guys, it is not “OK” to give people hope when there isnt. You d rather tell people to start thinking of a plan B rather than just giving them emotional hope. PP is DONE. Even if we assume that the USCIS still have 1% of PP applications that it will send later (I dont understand why would they) but it is safe to say PP is done. Work on your plan B. Congrats for the winners. I was not slected myself and I dont want anyone to tell me there is hope. Go do something useful.

    Reply
    • AD PP is like 2 runs from 3 balls required. India vs Bangladesh game, sad thing is there is no Hardik Pandya to bail AD PP out but we never know. Just saying. Btw I am also on the same AD PP boat

      Reply
      • Hey dude, I am not Indian so I have no idea what you are talking about 🙂 well good luck for both of us next year. I am very optimistic about a big reform happening to the STEM AD people specifically

        Reply
    • I agree with you that there is little hope. But here people are just sharing the information they have. Working on PLAN B is always a safe option.

      Reply
  4. Has anyone seen a pp receipt that was received by USCIS on 18th? Last I see on case status is 15th. It might be end game unless someone proves me wrong

    Reply
    • I believe someone has posted that they got their receipts today for AD/PP.
      So wait for sometime. Please wait until you get your document/check comes back.
      If you want to plan for some other alternative, wait at least 1 more week.
      Just hope. Let us not have or create negative hopes in people’s mind.
      I know it is easy to say. But no other options. :):)
      Do not mistake me!! 🙁

      Reply
  5. Negative emotion escalated quickly here, which is normal for people under pressure.

    But seriously, we’re barely 1 week into this process while the process was designed to be 5 weeks (for PP receipts).

    Reply
  6. Guys, people say don’t loose hope BUT today no PP got an email….so it’s facts unfortunately. Prove me wrong otherwise! Am Non-AD/ PP myself.

    Reply
    • I agree. If USCIS is saying that the last date is May 16 then I do not see why everyone (AD PP) is loosing hope.

      Also when applied under AD PP USCIS is not bound to notify AD PP guys early or there is no specific date for AD PP guys by which they should be notified . USCIS is ONLY promising that after MAY 16 they will process PP applications in 15 days.

      Reply
  7. You know what i noticed , Nobody panics when things go according to plan of USCIS, even if the plan is horrifying. Today , if i say there is still more time for AD/PP or even till the end of this month , Nobody panics because its all part of the plan .

    But when i say One guy from CTS got the receipt number for the NON-AD/RP just now , everybody looses their mind

    Reply
    • Agree!

      USCIS never indicated PP will be out by the first week, not even this week or next week but everyone freaks out seeing others receiving theirs!

      Reply
      • RC,

        May 15 was a guesstimate for them so that selected PP petitions stop breathing down their neck about their 15 day SLA. USCIS didn’t know how many PPs will be applied or selected. So they made a guess based on historical data.

        IMO, most of the PPs have been issued receipts, there may be few left but most of them are done. May 15 date is given so that USCIS can now spend time b/w now and May 31 processing them and still honor the SLA for those 1000s of selected PP petitions.

        Reply
  8. Hi all This is my 3rd attempt as Non AD/RP from H4(Dependent Visa) i am 3 + years of IT experience, Did USICS know about my third attempt coz i have applied with 3 different employers ? is there any advantage in no of attempts?

    Reply
  9. Some insights that are very close to the truth based on the stats we know so far. Probability of winning if you are an AD is around 52% (regardless of which lottery you were selected at). Probability of winning if you are a non-AD is about 25%. About 70,000 AD applicants this year (the number can be computed from the probabilities). Another fact, H1B fee hike seemed to really affect the number of non-AD applicants. However, there was about 75% increase in the AD applicants. Without reform, the ADs will increase every year, especially after the 2 year STEM extension, AD students will be able to apply up to 4 times. The result will be a continuous decrease in the chances of both AD and non AD.

    Another thing, it is almost over for PP people.

    Reply
  10. I really think that it’s all over for AD PP, but I am hoping that it isn’t. I do not want to hear the fact that it is all over for AD PP

    Reply
    • To my knowledge, all your documents along with the check will be returned to your employer /attorney if not selected in lottery. Until then you can wait.

      Reply
    • I wonder why so many of you guys are waiting for this LOL…it is funny and sad as well..Funny because you guys think your life will end if you won’t get selected..COMMON GUYS…LIFE WILL NOT BE OVER SO CHILL!! India is really great and don’t be so excited to work in US. Its nothing different except the dollars and rupee. SAD because…you guys think you did a lot of things for this lottery and lots of work..but if you dint get select then its not your fault or GOD’s fault..GIVE ME A BREAK!! it is luck and if you get select go party and who dont select just wait and relax..!! I really hate writing this but after reading comments it seems you guys are feeling like life ended, CHILL AND RELAX and just calm down! Best of luck to all for waiting including me! but I dont feel like my life will end so just writing this..!!

      Reply
  11. Hi I have a question:

    If you got a receipt with a EAC number but it says that you will be able to start tracking your case in two weeks what does it mean? Did I got selected or not? I am sure this is a stupid question but I am freaking out right now.

    Reply
    • wtf. are you trying to be over smart by asking this. and making fun of others. you know that you got the receipt. what does it mean? This lottery system picks stupid and dumb engineers only.

      Reply
      • Relax people! I understand that question. When I got the receipt two years ago my employer told me it didn’t mean that I got selected. I had to wait for the official approval. It’s just bullshit I know that now!

        However, I understand everybody’s frustration! Keep your hopes up and at the same time it is not the end if you don’t get selected.

        BEST OF LUCK TO EVERYBODY!

        Reply
  12. Any new recipets for AD/PP/VT today? I am still wishing that there are more receipts to come (including mine). Good luck everyone.

    Reply
    • One of my friend got an email today (around 12:00 PM PDT) from his attorney regarding his petition being picked in lottery. His petition is AD/PP/CA.

      I think still there are more receipts to be out.

      Any idea when AD/RP can expect?

      Reply
    • Can you please clarify one thing ? What is the datetime when USCIS sent email to your lawyer ? Looks like the datetime you mentioned above is the time when your lawyer informed you .

      If you can answer this accurately it will help a lot to ppl like me who is still waiting .

      AD PP CSC here. LAST CHANCE

      Reply
    • 100% agree!

      Admit this- there is no way to know how many they have send out and how many left to be sent! Who told you PP receipts are running out?

      You all know that life is a marathon, you should not look at others!!

      Reply
  13. i want to say these two lines
    “finally the wait is over”
    “Good luck to rest who are waiting”
    mera number kab ayega

    Reply
  14. Immigrationgirl updated this on her twitter handle about 50 minutes back:

    “No new receipts yet today. We did receive some hard copy receipts for premium processing cases in which we already received emails.”

    I think it is over now.

    3rd-time genuine application 🙁

    Reply
  15. We have two awesome forums to get the updates about all the h1b related things. One is this redbus2us and another is immigration girl.

    Is there any other forum you follow?

    Reply
    • Did any get receipts from CA processing center today for non-AD/PP . Its so quiet. Starting to think if there is any point in keeping up high hopes. Its already a week and only a small percentage of the applications would have been PP

      Reply
    • I have 2 (out of 6) co workers got receipts # last week. All AD/PP.

      What about your side? Really eager to know if there’s still any left

      Reply
  16. Few of my friends suggested, for PP guys at VT center , the order of receipt numbers generated is following reverse alphabetical order(z – a) of last-names. Did anyone else observed the same as Well ?

    Reply
    • I think if it is not coincidence, you are right. A friend of mine whose last name starts from X received his/hers earlier than a friend whose last name starts with G. But I don’t think it is important coz Non-PP may follow it or not or follow Region+Last Name. Who knows….

      Reply
  17. Congrats to all PP applicant (AD/NON AD) who got selected.
    Others please don’t loose your hope… The best is yet to happen for you with GOD’s blessing.

    Reply
    • Are you the same famous H1BLaughteragain who got through the lottery last year? If yes, good to see you back…to motivate us. This is the third attempt for me 🙂

      Reply

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