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.
Got the email today at 3pm!! RP
MNC or non-mnc?
Got the receipt now:)
Even I got . All the best for those who are waiting 🙂
Is your center is California or Vermnont???? and what time you got the mail??
Mate,could u pls share your receipt number
Jai Nirmalbaba
Dont forget to eat Aloo Samosa
How can you be so shameless and make fun of the people here who are waiting for something that would shape their career. Shame on you.
Agree with you.. It is irritating to the core.. These guys are supposed to be professionals
take it easy guys…me too waiting
don’t let it get to your nerves
Jai Nirmal Baba
Bakwas krny ki b had hoti hoti hai hr dosry comment mn baba baba lagy hovy ho log kitny pareshan hn koi ehsas nae or apni ghatya bakwas samosa n all that ridiculous stuff lgy hovy ho sharam kro kahin doob maro
Any update from L&T Infotech. I have heard they have sending latest updates to many, however no one has received the update as ‘Rejected’, only ‘Selected’ and ‘Under Process’
I keep on refreshing this forum for some good news…
Hi All,
Looks like i lost H1B. Can someone tell me some good consultancies those help you in getting Job on work visa sponsorship for UK/Europe. I tried connecting many companies directly but till now no luck. I am in IT with 10 Yrs experience
waiting waiting
The latest reply from GI team:
“We expect to receive posts and updates starting mid of May and there will be relevant communication done timely. Note all documents including the returned cases, acknowledgement for cases that have got through the lottery etc. comes via snail mail and we will need to wait for them to be received in our US offices. And status updates would be done on GICS for individual records based on the respective application status.”
Hi, We expect to receive posts and updates starting mid of May and there will be relevant communication done timely. Note all documents including the returned cases, acknowledgement for cases that have got through the lottery etc. comes via snail mail and we will need to wait for them to be received in our US offices. Regards, Global Immigration
any update from HCL ISG team ??
Any one got receipt from Acceligent inc?
I am not in lottery winner list
When did you get the list?
My friend has received a notification in post processing app. His case was received. He received this notification for May 5th afternoon by 2.00pm. It was mentioned that his case was picked in lottory on April 11th. Which means we can still have an hope even if it is the 65000th case also.
Good luck guys..and congrats to my friend
Dude do u think it’s coming via alphabetical order what’s the first letter of ur frnd name
No buddy… it isn’t alphabetical… That’s almost confirmed… Seems like they are sending it our randomly…in the sense USCIS itself sends them randomly to CTS
Thank
I had got the mail earlier regarding my successful petition shipping on 11th itself but haven’t received any receipt or update regarding lottery result.
Not at all alphabetical, 4 of my friends in CTS got and cant find an alpabetical similarity
Many people have got their receipts. Its almost game over. Chances are very slim if you did not receive the receipts today.
Hi,
Please wait till May 12th. I got receipt. So it is clearly mentioned in my receipt that “If you do not receive your receipt notice by May 12th 2016, please call customer service”
So we can assume to wait till May 12.
Dont loose hope till that moment.
they just expect a time frame of a month for the receipt/info to reach the applicant eventually and its not a deadline
Are you from IGate or CG. Is there anyone who got from CG
I am from Igate. CG people have also received receipt numbers. Its game over guys. Accept the fate and move on.
I have not got any information whether selected or not.
Hey CG1 ….. I can confirm you that No one in CG has got any information, as i know atleast 50 people for whom it was applied and they have not got any news at all,, it shall start around mid of may..that is trend of CG…so dont loose hope with some false updates ….
Hey Any one from Nam Tech got response … waiting is killing me …
Hi Pallavi,
Please wait till May 12th. I got receipt. So it is clearly mentioned in my receipt that “If you do not receive your receipt notice by May 12th 2016, please call customer service”
So we can assume to wait till May 12.
Dont loose hope till that moment.
what!? This makes no sense. why will they write “if you do not receive this letter call us”.
if i did not get the notice ,how will i know that i have to call.
if i received the notice then ,why should i call?
Hey did you get it f rom Nam Tech consultancy , I didn’t get any update from them… I am just worried ..
Dear Employee
Greetings from GIMS..!
We are glad to inform you that your H1B CAP application is accepted by USCIS in the lottery process. Based on the current processing timelines at the USCIS, it may take anywhere between 3 to 5 months to decide on your application and to receive intimation from USCIS. GIMS team will keep you posted once we have further updates. If USCIS would issue an RFE (request for evidence) on your application, GIMS will contact you for information/documentation.
Regards
GIMS
Hi
When did you this mail. Pls
Any one from Capgemini Hyd got receipts tdy ?
any one from Kellton tech hyderabd received receipts?
Can anyone plz answer me ?Is game over for PP candidate or any hope left ?
99% its over Sir, Anyway lets wait till May15, until u get the rejection mail
Dont want to raise ur hopes. But alas, there would be hardly 1% chance for PP. ?
Sorry to say.
@IGATE/CapG folks- It seems we are getting updates only in the morning hours before 1200 IST. Has anyone got a VRF update in the evening ??
No update yet..
Yes you are right..
VRF is getting updated only in the morning..
IBMers, any of you got the receipt today?
In IBM …lots of guys are waiting for receipt… I think so far they have sent only VT center receipt…We need to wait for CA center receipt.
I prefer to live in india rather going to these BABAs……All the Best BABA for finding chamchas in IT industry.
Can anyone of you tell me what is their case status of non Adv/PP applicants?
Success is on its way my friend, several followers of Nirmal Baba already are reaping the fruits of faith in divine feet of Nirmal Baba.
Nirmal Baba ki jai
Nirmal baba ki jai
Any update from Infosys? Waiting eagerly to hear some good news.
Adeeey Nirmal Baba . Where is my lottery result ? please send soon, i will give you 1000 samosas
Nirmal Baba
Thanks for bringing in piece of humour in this site and funny belief logic , finally we can smile reading your posts, amidst depressing notes from several those who waiting and waiting for receipt.
on a serious note,that’s what i intended
guys we have no control over what’s happening
so instead of swating let’s take a chill pill…i mean samosa 🙂
Hail Nirmal Baba
Did anyone in CTS got receipt notification today?
I did not get it
When we will receive rejection notice ???
IBMer’s Any updates today? Looks like some IBMers got receipts yesterday as well… And all got emails during night only…. No updates till now today…..
I believe they are sending receipts during onshore hours only, no updates today so far
True…I have seen one of my friend got in a receipt in night time….
IBM sending receipt process is very slow. Max we can wait till this weekend..
One of my friends h1 is filed under Non ADV/PP and his case status is showing as “case was received” but my question is, if it is filed under PP then it should as “Case Was Received and A Receipt Notice Was Emailed” right?
Yes
How many of DEP guys got and how many of us are waiting. Please update location also.
Hi I am also Part of DEP chennai-Siruseri localtion..waiting waiting…
I am from DEP NCR. Still waiting :((((
CTS Chennai TCO branch waiting for results. Healthcare Domain
Still waiting !! Some of them got yesterday and initially
For Infosys Guys, Just received this response form GICS team:
“We have started receiving the receipt notice and GI will send the communication once they start updating it in GICS. So please keep checking GICS. We do not have any further update on this as of now.”
Ok gr8888..
Thanks for the update.
Thanks for the update bro
Thanks for updating bro. In this portal, 3 days ago also few guys from Infosys got selection status.
Bless me.. waiting .. waiting.. waiting…
Nirmalbaba..please show your blessings on me..this is my third time..
Best of luck to all, many got mail yesterday in r acc
Wipro guys any updates ? I see only 2/3 ppl have said they got it. Can anyone confirm if results are still on pipeline?
My friend from different account recd mail.
Again insurance domain.
Thank you RedBus…. the support in these frenzied times is therapeutic . 2nd time applicant Non AD/RP.
Continue this support & Best of luck to people who are waiting… Have faith and patience!
Whatever happens …happens for your own good.. you’ll connect the dots later.
Ciao!
Any idea till what time we have to wait for NON-AD/RP/CA?
Nirmal BABA ki Jai !!!
Any hopes still left for pp?
Any IME folks received H1B status till now ?
Many !
Thanks! Which service center received from status VT or CA or both?
Both
Anyone from Fragomen got response? Non-AD/RP?
Hi,
I have not yet received any response from Fragomen. I always check the portal, but no updates. Mine is Non-AD/PP. Thank you.
Can you post the direct link of Fragemon?
Nope ! not yest. I am also waiting to hear from fragomen. I have been following up with them every two days but receiving the same update saying “We have not received any updates on your case and will let you know as and when we receive an update”. Do not know how many more days it would take to get the info
Non-AD/RP/CSC, notified by Fragomen on May 3rd
Why Accenture Team is so slow in declaring results???? 🙁
don’t know man.. Its very sad 🙁
did u get your lca number?
No, still waiting for any update. I think they have not sent update to any applicant.
Really Acc is just increasing the suspense, how about raising a myrequest ?
I am from PDC2, what abt you guys ?
I am from PDC 3
No update yet. MyRequest won’t help, they are giving generic replies to all asking to wait till July. They will also not Provide any LCA. Last year people were getting notified in the last week of may.
Seriously Cognizant has become a crap just becoz of u people…If u want to post a bullshit comment , do it , but why suffixing CTS to ur name, that really makes me sick…Yu may have got selected but why r u suffocating others..Please admit youself to a mental hospital aleast the patients can make use of the so called Samoosa..
I think you did not try the sweet chutney with Samosa 😉 AFAICT people are kidding, if someone seriously believes in Samosa then they should better be ready to make a kachori of their lives.
A new BIRBAL BABA says to eat curry puffs with hot chilli sauce. No wait! he says to bathe with red chutney to get visa. Do it. whats wrong in that?
Believing anything is upto you. Describes your personality.
These are just my thoughts.
Anyone from DWT_DEP_PCC got the receipt? Please reply !
Congrats for all who got selected!!!
Dude’s plz reply if you are seeing this!
Still waiting..from which location did people got?
CTS Contact point for getting added in Whatsapp grp for all updates is 9962366598
Grp is almost full with 241 members Hurry up
How many of them have received the case number?
Waiting for Visa
Fortune finally knocked our door..Got selected in the 4th attempt finally…for those who have not got an upadate plz wait with patience…
Hi Can you tel me whether this H1B receipts sent in alphabetical order? please don mind for asking this as you are trying from past three years you will be knowing more compare to me ? pls reply
Finally the wait is over….
Third Attempt…..NonAD/RP…Got selected….!!!!
Good luck to all….who are awaiting….
Please help us…
you are from which company?
congrats man
Guys,
I raised an AHD request yesterday regarding the status of my H1B. Today they replied, Please refer below.
“Dear Employee,
Please note as and when we receive an update from USCIS as to whether the Petition is picked in lottery and whether it is approved, we would update the details in GICS system. Request you to wait for the same. Also refrain following up”
THEY SHOULD ALREADY RECEIVED RECEIPT, PURPOSEFULLY THEY ARE NOT RELEASING IT.
Any one from this form got status update in GICS portal?????
I got the same update just a few minutes back. I have raised another AHD asking whether they have received any receipts 😀
Please update status of ur second AHD as well
Hopefully, they maydeclare the results in GICS to get relief from the ahd requests!! 😀 😛
I also got the same response from the CCD GI team.
They might have received the receipt, but they are not updating the same asap in portal
did anyone notice the alert in GICS stating “GICS downtime between 14th May to 15th May” ?
Finally my wait is over. Got notification from Mobility team regarding my receipt. Non-AD/RP
Hi Congrats IGate(Capgemini), you are from IGATE rt…as what i have heard is no one from Capgemini has got update and it will take time still for the same
which location?
Hello Bro,
What was VRF status before getting receipt details. Was that
Processing Status: Case Filed with Immigration
Pending With: Immigration
??
H1B will be done in alphabetical? RP completed?
I am from Capgemini Mumbai. Below is My H1B status.
Processing Status: Case Filed with Immigration
Pending With: Immigration
No receipt number on VRF.
Location : Mumbai
Anyone from Capgemini Mumbai, Bangalore received receipt?
Even i am from Mumbai and status is same, heard that for Capgemini, results will start coming around after 2nd week of May.
Guys, any of your friends have received the receipts yesterday with regard to chennai region. If so, what is the number and can we still expect the receipts to come in????
Same here. I guess we can keep our hopes till tomorrow based on last year trend. Already there were many notified.
From CHN/Healthcare
Infosys guys any LTA for update?
Hi Saurabh/Kumar (Admins)
Yesterday, I receive an email from my employer stating that your cheque has been encashed. They say they haven’t received receipt notice yet.
My question is : As USCIS completed data entry on May 2. Is it possible that cheque can be encashed after May 2nd too.
I see that this question has been raised by few more guys also. Your response is highly appreciated.
Yes, answer to this would help us alot. Please clarify
H1B Doubt,
It is possible that the check is cashed after May 2. There is not enough data to say w/ certainty that checks are always cashed soon after receipt generation.
In addition, even when the check is submitted to the bank, it may take few days to get the money deducted from your employer’s account and for him to take notice.
H1B Cheque,
Yesterday I asked my employer about the h1b application filling status. He replied that the cheque got en-cashed yesterday but not received the receipt yet. What does it mean.
Please explain
Is the game over for pp?
If cheque got encashed. you are selected in lottery Shyam
Thanks a lot for the pleasant reply
Do you have any idea when I can except the receipt?