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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. Can we expect more receipts today in CTS or is game over for us. Mine is 2nd time non ad/RP/CA 🙁 Hope this name brings luck

    Reply
  2. I am from IBM. I see some activity in INS Zoom on 22 Apr 2016. “H1B Cap Petition and Certified LCA” was uploaded stating “Final Package Upload”. Does that mean anything?
    Not heard anything about lottery selection yet.

    Reply
    • This comments is for all the H1B applied for this year. If you are selected in lottery then they will send you a separate email till the time chill out

      Reply
  3. I heard from some consultant, even if not pick in lottery they can arrange special meeting with visa officer and if i can explain the urgency to go to US on H1, they can consider. ANyone has such experience

    Reply
    • yes its completely bull shit … US officers won’t act like indian officers(don’t take any money)

      Reply
        • Ok I agree , If you can bribe one of officer from USCIS office and get to know how lottery works …then i agree money will do everything for everything .. 🙂

          Reply
    • Yes you can do that… But you have to sign a form n der are lot of docs req by u and ur emploer.

      Ur employer should send j form.
      Once approved visa executive will take interview of u n ur employer. If it’s approved ur employer has to pay aditional fee of aditional 8000$ to proceed with h1b

      Reply
    • LostIt,

      Not sure what your employer has in mind, but he may be referring to “B-1 in lieu of H-1”. This used to be a go-to visa for folks who couldn’t get H-1 but really needed to travel to US. However, it has been excessively abused by employers over the years and consulate no longer issues it. I haven’t seen any successful experiences shared in past many years.

      Reply
  4. petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/unpicked-h1b-petitions-should-be-subjected-2nd-round-lottery

    Please sign the petition even if you have already got selected in the lottery. This to help more deserving people. Please share with others.

    Reply
  5. Does anyone of the IBMer frequenting this blog, have an idea/info from immi. team regarding the confirmations being sent or till when we can be positive.

    Reply
    • Till now no Update..waitingggggg….Expecting results till the end of May.. After we have to accept that the game is over 🙁

      Reply
    • No Update at all….. Still Waiting……………………. No news in IBM about lottery results….

      Reply
      • Few IBMers got notified last Thusday in Bangalore. Notifications started coming from last Thursday it seems

        Reply
    • I know 2 people got receipts on 27th and 8 people got receipts updated in inszoom this morning. These are the people whom I know in person not sure how much in total they notified.

      Reply
  6. Hi,

    Anyone from Infy got any update from GICS team or the managers. It seems that folks from CTS have started to get receipt numbers.

    Thank you

    Reply
    • I think infy should already started receiving the receipt numbers from USCIS, but purposefully they are making this delay to publish it in GICS portal.

      We not even know whether they actually filed our H1 petition to USIC or not…..Bcx they are not sharing the FedEx numbers. Only way we came to know out petition got filed through the GICS status “AcknowledgeFromUSCIS”.

      What can we do if they manually update it in database without actual filing?

      We hope they filed out petition….

      Reply
    • Hi,

      When is the right time (date) to raise an AHD to get the Visa Status.?
      Last year people got updates by calling GICS team and following up post 15-May- both selection and rejection.
      I supposed GI team should be proactive to inform but it is never the case :P.

      Reply
  7. No news yet from my employer.. Mine is Non AD RP CA.. Hoping I will receive my receipt number this week..

    Reply
  8. Hi,
    Any one from Accenture started getting the notifications from People Mobility or any tentative date by which they disclose the suspense ?

    Reply
  9. Hi – We started receiving the lottery results and we are receiving the same in a batch wise. This process will run for entire may, if we receive any update, you will be notified. With respect to the final results, GM team will confirm by June 2nd week.

    Reply
  10. Hello Saurab,

    I have a question. my visa approved in 2012 through company X but I never travelled to US due to unavialability of project requirement. Visa valid was expired on Sep 2014.

    Again this year I have applied fresh application and my consultacy says that my check was encashed by USISC.

    My question is if I go for visa interview this year will it be any issue since I have valid petetion from the old visa?

    also will they reject my application during visa interview since I was not utilised old visa.

    Please let me know how to proceed further.

    Regards,
    Rahul

    Reply
    • Rahul,

      Your old petition would not impact the outcome of current visa stamping. If asked, you can say that old employer didn’t have any US opportunity and so you didn’t travel on H-1.

      Reply
  11. @cts folks one of my colleague in the bay is a manager .He got the receipt number just now for one of his reportees

    Reply
    • Hello H1 Guy,

      After getting H1B I waited around 1.6 years with company “X” who processed my H1B later shifted to company “Y”. Now one of the consultancy from US processed my H1B.

      Also can you plesae let me know where can I see petetion validity period. I can see visa validity already over.

      Regards,
      Rahul.

      Reply
  12. One of My friend Received receipt in Morning Today.. So guys wait is not over yet.. Please have hope and best luck.

    Reply
  13. One of my proj mate got the receipt last week from DWT-Analytics…and looks like nothing this week…me too waiting second time…Non-AD/RP/CA

    Reply
  14. Hi,

    I have received my notice today and identified that surname is wrongly printed will it affect the approval or is there any process to follow to correct the surname.

    Kindly suggest me.

    Reply
      • In I-129 it is correct but in I-797C(Notice of Action) only surname is misspelled so we need to submit H-1 amendment?

        Kindly let me know your thoughts on this.

        Regards.

        Reply
        • 2nd time lucky,

          If I-129 was submitted correctly, then maybe attorney can raise a SR and file a request to get it corrected. Check w/ your attorney.

          Reply
          • Hi Saurabh,

            When can we need to raise a SR to USCIS before approval or after approval?

            Please let me k now.

            Thanks

          • 2nd time lucky,

            Ohh, your petition is still pending. I somehow read that it was already approved.

            In that case no amendment is required as the petition is not approved yet. Attorney can raise SR now and get it corrected so that the final approval notice has the correct surname.

            Sorry for the confusion!

  15. Last year, Most of the selected h1b applicants from infosys got their receipt on 3rd and 4th week of may, and 1st week of june. And then few of them got in june and july as well. But the worst part is, my TL got it on October 1st week!! So guys, for Non AD/RP, you can’t say the last day but wait. Positive hope..! (Waiting_Non AD/RP/CA)

    Reply
  16. Hello Everyone,

    My H1B (Non-Advance/Regular Processing) application got picked- I have received my receipt. First of all Thanks to every one here on the forum for sharing your thoughts, guidence. This is my second attempt, I wish all the very best for every one here don’t loose hope.

    Reply
  17. petitions.whitehouse.gov//petition/unpicked-h1b-petitions-should-be-subjected-2nd-round-lottery

    Please sign this even if you are already selected in the lottery.

    Reply
  18. Any updates IBMers? There is no news about lottery result in IBM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
        • If I am correct, we can wait till end of this month. Afterwards there is a very slim chance!!!!

          Reply
      • Yep received receipts today and many received last week ! We even received the mails for petition submitted to uscis with tracking numbers. If your INS Zoom was not updated with the date of USCIS submission till now then probably your manager is playing a big game with you. Check with him/her asap.

        Reply
    • Yeah. INSZOOM portal sucks. Was wondering why no IBMer is even commenting here 🙂 No news so far in IBM. I even got my petition submission mail on Apr 13th, so not even sure if I was in game.

      Reply
      • @IBM2ndAttempt – Most of us got the email regarding submission by this time only. Check the Shipping / Mailing log in INSZooom… It should have the Shipping tracking number with which u can track whether ur petition is sent to USCIS or not. For most of us, it has reflected the tracking number and I do see that mine is filled on April 1st

        Reply
        • @IBMer_H1B_2ndAttempt_SingleApplication there nothing at Shipping / Mailing log in my INSZooom. My case manager left IBM in between and his mail id also was not reachable.

          Reply
          • Then its clear and simple.Your petition was never sent. Petition Tracking numbers were received in April itself through emails.

          • @IBMer – Yes this happened with me last year as well. One thing you can confirm that… under Digital Docs section, if u can find any documents uploaded which is not by YOU and it includes LCA… then your case is filled. Looks like if there is no Shipping Tracking Number, then there is a high chance that the petition is not sent to USCIS.
            Last year, except Welcome Email, I did not get anything, as well no steps marked completed other than sending Welcome Email. My case was not filled last year.

      • Same here ‘IBM2ndAttempt’, got the petition submission mail on 12th April.
        Wait and watch, hope we will get something by next week.

        Reply
      • IBM Bangalore. 2nd attempt. I received my receipt email on 30th 7:10 AM IST. Even i got my petition submission email on Apr 13th. So that should be fine. All the best guys

        Reply
        • @IBMer – Are you the same IBMer who commented “@IBMer_H1B_2ndAttempt_SingleApplication there nothing at Shipping / Mailing log in my INSZooom. My case manager left IBM in between and his mail id also was not reachable.”

          Reply
  19. Got a call from employer that cheque was debited…. I assume that my application was picked in lottery. Waiting for the receipt.

    Mine is Non AD/RP

    All the best for every one.

    Reply
  20. Any one have idea about the percentage of Non-AD/RP receipts released till date.
    what will be the last date we can expect ?

    Reply

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