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.
has anyone from Accenture received any updates from mobility team?
Yet to receive any updates from them. Last mailer which I received from them was Informing that the petition has been sent to USCIS and is subjected for lottery.
I hope we will be getting updates by 2nd week of May. Also, I feel none from Accenture would have received any communication from mobility team.
All the best !!
Yes, Yet to receive updates from Accenture Mobility. The latest update was they have filed the petition with USCIS.
Guys,
any updates for TCS folks?
No still VTS status showing petition filed..i mailed fdfu team but did not get any response…we need to wait for may 3rd week for lottery result in TCS.
I guess companies like Infy wipro tcs have not yet published their results???
everyone knew that if results are published it will create attrition 🙂
Guys, any updates form Infy?
Even I also have not heard anything from our friends, i think this time, GI team is taking lot of time to update the status
Anybody from Infosys got their status updated today?
I’m still waiting. This is my second attempt.
I am also waiting desperately brother, this is the 2nd time.
All the best bro
Thanks. I wish u also get thrugh lottery
Anybody from sunray Corp recieved receipt?
Hi friends!!
anybody got reciepts from Vedicsoft Inc . Regular / Non AD
I thought of applying through that company , but in last minute i dropped off VedicSoft
No..
@Non ad RPvt
Bro any of your friends or any colleagues received their reciepts.
I know few of them but they are AD
I got it – Cheers and Good luck to you..
H1B Whitehouse Petition
petitions.whitehouse.gov//petition/unpicked-h1b-petitions-should-be-subjected-2nd-round-lottery
Requesting everybody to sign the following Whitehouse petition. Even if you were selected in the lottery, please sign this petition. God was kind to us. Now its our duty to help in whatever way we can.
A petition, in order to be heard by President Obama, needs at least 100,000 signatures. Please spread this in social media and help the petition get 100,000 signatures before May 28.
HI..Anybody got H1 lottory notification in igate-capG..?
In Page 37, one guy mentioned that he received it, even though i haven’t heard anything yet…. This is the 3rd time for me..Fingers crossed and hoping for the best…
Hi..For me ..its second time.. If you got any update in hyd..reply me..I am from pune..i wil inform if got any update
Receipt number got updated in VRF today morning….
God’s grace…:)
Hello Bro.. What was your last status in VRF??
Was that like,
Processing Status : Case Filed with Immigration
Pending With : Immigration
What is the last day for the lottery to get picked up ? Any clue
Hi,
I have received Receipt No.
All the best for everyone who are awaiting for the same.
Regards,
Yash
Congratulations. When did your employer notified? And yours is non ad/rp/vt?
Can anyone tell me approximately how much % of checks have been cashed for NON-AD/RP/VT?? please reply
Does anyone got receipt from MRCC?
Have you filed from MRCC?
Hope so they will be able to clear RFE after getting selected…
First of all don’t expect they will communicate status on time. Don’t expect any visibility from A***les. Moreover you money has been stuck with them for at least 15 months.
God bless you…!
Last time USCIS said maintanence they conducted the lottery, and they said that again on may 1’st, we people can expect some good news this week.
2nd Attempt. Waiting for good news from the employer.
Hope will get this time for sure.
Non Ad/RP/VT
Hi Guys,
QQ: Whats the status on Regular Processing folks ?? Till when they can expect to be picked up in lottery ?
May 15th. If you don’t get a receipt by May 22, it’s most likely you are not selected in the lottery.
any chance from epic system? my 2 friends received notice on april 26. do you think still any hope for me?
AD/RP/CA
Are you sure it is RP and not PP?
Yes. Epic usually do RP.
Yes you do have chances. RP receipts are still tricking in. Just hold on.
Have any PP applicants here also got paper receipt notices (not just the email ones) from USCIS? Or do they not send these?
Is PP over?
Immigration girl’s counts seems not so realistic, they are claiming too big numbers, if we go with the numbers mentioned it looks like 50% of the applicants of immigration girl are selected.
I think so…she is just playing with numbers…just to increase the webpage traffic..:). Although some of it is true.
I do accept…she says 50% got selected for AD/PP & NON-AD/PP…may be some statements are true…
AD applications go through the lottery twice and hence have better odds of getting picked.
Anybody from HCL got update?
No update …..
Does anyone know the deadline to expect the results for non-AD/RP/VT .
May end
Picked in lottery for nonAD/RP. Got info on 30th April. One application only. Thanks to redbus2us, lot of valued info for everyone.
Congratulations to all who got through the Lottery and Wish everyone good luck who are waiting.
any chance from epic system? my 2 friend receive notice on april 26. do you think still any hope for me?
Still waiting.
Let’s wait for one more week.
Hi all,
Is lottery notification from usics for h4 to h1 normally comes late?
I am at h4 and egarly waiting for result. Vry much tensed.
No bro it’s not like that ..
If your petition filed in regular processing it will take some time .. You can expect in next week. Inshaallah hojayega..
Thanks bro. Best wishes to you too.
Any one from Atri softech got receipt?
U have any update?
Guys- any hope for Non AD/PP/VT now ?
Sorry to say, but PP is done.
@PPOver, If you are unaware please keep quiet and don’t give false information. I am AD/PP/VT and i got my receipt notice on Friday evening. So still PP receipts are trickling in.
thanks for update ,
Hi,
Did you get it on April 29th??
Please let me know.
@stillhopeforpp:Agree with you. I don’t know why people throw their frustration on others as if they know everything. Although chances are less but still hope is there
Come on dude…From USCIS , PP is over. The only possible way where u were selected and not informed is that the lawyer is taking their own sweet time to notify applicants
Guys- any hope for Non AD/PP now or just prepare to go back?
There are slim chances for PP till May 12th if you are one of lucky ones. I have now given up and started packing for relocating. Wish you good luck .
my colleagues in CTS started receiving the receipts
During weekend ?
Hello CTS, Non AD/RP, Received receipt on Friday night and feeling very happy. Wishing you all the best and you can wait till May 11th.
H1B Whitehouse Petition
petitions.whitehouse.gov//petition/unpicked-h1b-petitions-should-be-subjected-2nd-round-lottery
Requesting everybody to sign the following Whitehouse petition. Even if you were selected in the lottery, please sign this petition. God was kind to us. Now its our duty to help in whatever way we can.
A petition, in order to be heard by President Obama, needs at least 100,000 signatures. Please spread this in social media and help the petition get 100,000 signatures before May 28.
I did, appreciate you initiative
They always have a waitlist so what you are requesting already has something in place for it.
Infy updates plz…
So jus 1 person from pune dc, so far.. As per below comments
How n wen, he got to kno abt it
He pinged me on what’s app…
On Friday his status changed…
Ho .. Gr88..
N his name strts vth ?
Last tym, it vs given in alphbtc reverse order frm infy..
N anybdy else got frm infy??
His name starts with Da…
No not yet!! still waiting
Hmm.. Ok.. Lets wait..n c..
Would like to check if any one received the confirmation for non-ad/Rp/CA yesterday or today.
Buddy, I think there won’t be any notifications on weekend; hence the forum is calm….
Does anybody know if all checks are cleared by USCIS or does it continue in May as well.
This lottery system is taking a toll out of me big time. Third year in a row waiting for lottery result.
Has anybody heard from Secure App Technologies yet?
Anyone filed with navel tech?
Is it navel tech or caprusit. If so I am in the same boat Non Ad/Rp
Have you got any update from them…,I tried reaching them many times no reaponse
Yes..Till now they got 34 out of 76.
Anyone from Valiantica ?
Any one got updates from Mobility Team?
Not yet..
Still waiting..
Has any1 tried to reach mobility team for igate/capgemini
Not sure whom to reach for the update.. Hope will get some update coming week
Yea…. Finally the wait is over!
Are there still any hopes for NON-AD/RP?
TechM guys any update??
We will get updates on mostly by weekend or next week.
Any one got receipt from CTS BFS Kolkata?
Hi few folks in JPMC account got results for RP in chennai location. GM tea just now started sending the receipt number for selected candidates. Still can have the hopes alive.
Today sunday then how?
Anyone from CTS chennai Insurance got anything ??
Coz we know we hav been hearing from other verticals like Healthcare(Aetna), Many BFS and Retail too but nothing on insurance ?????
Nope. Waiting!
Hi,
My teammate from Insurance has got the receipt on last friday Night. Hope they started sending the receipts for all verticals/horizontals.
I am waiting for my lottery result.
Non Ad RP CA.. Still hopeful !
Mine is non-AD/RP/VT. My employer says it is open till 2nd week of May. Staying hopeful 🙂
Non ad /rp/ca completed or not ?till when we expect any news …
What is the percentage of NON AD/ RP got picked up till now, any statistics ? Any hope left still for us, cos I have almost lost it.
You can have the hope till may second week. In my consultancy they receive receipts day by day.Cheer up…
Thanks Jesus loves you
Anyone applied from Jsmn inc ..RP/non-AD ? Is there still any hope ?
I did… No reply from them yet
Do u know any info ? Did they get atleast some RP Receipts ?
Any luck Akhira? They are still receiving receipts, that’s what I heard from jsmn….
Any Update from CTS BFS Kolkata?
Yes i applied but ni response from Consultancy. You got any update from them..
My employer who filed petition for me has given me a receipt number but the last five digit series is starting from digit 8(not by 5) . Did anyone faced the same. Its EAC.
Register on: egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/logon.do
and verify if the case number is valid or not 😉 simple
You fool
1) first u should be happy if ur employer gave the receipt number it means u git pucked in lottery
2) then why the f*** u worried abot wat kind and of number u get
By seeing these kind of peopleTRUMPH should get into power
Hi All,
Any one filed H1b through Legit-labs INC ?
With reference to my obsevation since last 4years, looks like next week (May 1st week) will receive high number of receipts its trend seen.
Be hopeful guys, we all are going to hear a lot of approvals next week. I am Non AD/RP/CSC and am sure this 2nd attempt I will make it.
Cheers!!!!
Thanks for Sharing your Experience..!!!!
Positive Experience Like this make us still Hopeful…!!!!
Thanks for giving positive hopes.
Thanks for giving hope.
Hope so … Me too sailing on same boat.. Non-Ad/Rp/CA
Metoo…. waiting for result… non ad. Rp. CA… are we have time still?
Infosys started sending receipts
One of my friend received it….
Non ad RP
It’s second time 4him
Which DC?? Was it PP? Anyone else got ??
Not sure for others…but 1 from my managers team…
Pune DC. Ph2.. And it’s non pp.
What is Ph2 ?
\
Hey , any one from Nam Tech Consultancy … we don’t have any update….
Which DC.. And was it pp?!
Even I have not heard anything from Nam Tech…
Hey sid , is it good consultancy to believe….I got it from one of my friend .. I have processed …. now worried so much ….
hi..any one from Niche software got any updates?
Nothing till now…
Any one frm niche software solutions
Unpicked H1B petitions should be subjected to 2nd round lottery
Created by A.S. on April 28, 2016
The current H1B lottery system does not restrict the number of applications an individual can file, for the lottery. For Example, Company A (current employer) and Company B (prospective employer) both can file separate petitions for the H1B lottery in the same FY. At the end of lottery, there are chances for both these applications to be picked. In such a case, the person normally withdraws one of those 2 applications. This is a loss for a person whose application does not get picked in the lottery. For Equal Employment Opportunity, we urge the White House to put in place a 2nd round lottery with all the non-selected applications from round 1.Example, if out of 85,000 applications 5,000 applications are withdrawn/rejected, they should run the lottery again with 5000 cap number.
Sign This Petition
Needs 98,437 signatures by May 28, 2016 to get a response from the White House
1,563 SIGNED 100,000 GOAL
heights of desperation! get a life man..h1b is not the end of the world! even if this silly petition reaches its goal of 100,000 nobody’s going to care…
Ram: Looks like Either you have failed multiple petitions or you are not fit for this forum.
USCIS is already picking more than 65000 for such things..Whatever is asked for in this petition is already implemented!!
Bro, first of all you are not an American neither the vote bank , white house will listen to you and second is don’t show your desperation for H1B in front of the whole world will prove you unworthy and low cost worker.so just chill….
Its US, not India. Nobody gives a shit to petitions like these. Pray and wait for your turn.
Why second lottery?? USCIS already selects extra petetions and put them in waiting list. So the one in waiting list are taken up when such backout occurs.
Requesting everybody to sign the following Whitehouse petition. Even if you were selected in the lottery, please sign this petition. God was kind to us. Now its our duty to help in whatever way we can.
A petition, in order to be heard by President Obama, needs at least 100,000 signatures. Please spread this in social media and help the petition get 100,000 signatures before May 28.
petitions.whitehouse.gov//petition/unpicked-h1b-petitions-should-be-subjected-2nd-round-lottery