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H1B Visa 2017 News Updates, Fees , Lottery Predictions, LCA - Processing Times, FAQs.

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

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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. This message was sent to me by my employer last April 4, 2016 but I am not that sure if my application has really reached USCIS because it was just only 3 days from the time where USCIS are starting to accept the filing of H1b. Do anyone here think that I was really filed? Its not because I dont trust my employer, I just want to see some proof which my employer didnt provide to it to me. Heres the message..

    Dear,

    Thank you for your note. Your H1 b petition has been successfully filed on April 1(Friday). As per our immigration lawyer who filed your petition, we should be hearing back from the USCIS in the next few weeks on the results of the H1 B lottery. As soon as we hear back from the USCIS we will surely let you know immediately. Thank you for your patience.

    Reply

  3. Got this mail today from my employer;

    “Good day, this is further to our previous communication on 1st April 2016 regarding your H-1B Filing for FY17 with USCIS was initiated successfully. We have confirmation from the FedEx on the delivery status of your petition.
    We are currently working on making the filing document available please await further communication from GM in this regard. No further action required at this point.”

    Reply

  5. I am Not believing that lottery has been concluded or done. But my attorney just mailed me that the cheques that devoted to my case have been cashed. I think there may be a mistake somewhere. I am not believing it until I get the formal decision. What you guys think ? I am AD/PP

    Reply

    • I am new to H1B application can anyone tell if once selected in lottery will this be a guarantee that you are selected and will only be waiting for interview and visa stamping or something like that?

      Reply

      • small answer:NO.
        Big answer :petition approval depends on your employer, your papers & several other things , but once you get a receipt then approval chances are high . RFE may delay things though.

        Reply

        • Thanks h1b for the respond but I already have my employer sponsored me for this h1b application, since this is my case would this change your answer to my question, sorry this is really my first application this all I know.

          Reply

    • Does anyone know (for sure) it the fact of cheque been cashed means that the lottery already ran and the person was selected?

      Thanks.

      Reply

    • I want to believe but cannot. As professional attorneys, they usually do not notify clients in this case. If you said that your employer told you, I might just a little bit believe you.

      Reply

    • Did you pay your employer to file your H1 ? Else they are making a fool out of you.
      There’s no way USCIS will encash the cheque so soon. Its just been 2 business days since they stopped accepting applications.

      Reply

  6. Can the writer indicate, in a separate section, what updates were made to the post ?

    So if you updated the post with H1B numbers on 11th April, add that to the section.

    This will help make sure we do not miss any updates.

    Reply

    • Immi girls percentage calculation doesn’t sum up correctly mathematically(% calculation with last year). It looks like she had an increase in filing of AD & that increase percentage she quoted as overall increase.
      This logic is wrong.

      Reply

  9. President of American Immigration Lawyers Association guesses that they have received 2,50,000 H-1B petitions this year. Not sure how far it is true.

    Source: sakshipost.com/index.php/news/international/78620-250,000-applications-received-for-65000-h1b-visas.html?psource=Feature

    Reply

  10. Hi All,

    I have a doubt that my petition delivered to Wrong Service Center.

    Employer Location : IL
    Job Location : NJ (Verified in LCA)
    Delivered to Service Center : LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA US

    Experts please do clarify me, and what if went to wrong service center? Will I get rejected even through in Lottery?

    Reply

    • Sri,
      I am afraid, if they filed it to wrong center, you may be rejected . Exact quote from USCIS H1B Page – “If you file your petition incorrectly, we will reject it. Rejected petitions will not retain a filing date and will not be counted toward the H-1B cap.” Check Where to mail petition section.

      Reply

      • They may have filed to the right service center. It will depend on the LCA. As per USCIS, “When the temporary employment or training will be in different locations, the state where your company or organization’s primary office is located will determine the appropriate Service Center to which you should send your Form I-129 package, regardless of where in the United States the various worksites are located.”

        USCIS mailroom (Vermont) rejected my H1 transfer petition due to above reason, and it had to be sent to CA center. My employer HQ is in CA, but I live in NJ, and work remotely out of home, and our NYC office.

        Reply

        • Hi Helper,

          Thanks for writing to me on my concern.

          Below is the content from official USCIS website under Where to Mail Your H-1B Petition article.

          https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models/h-1b-fiscal-year-fy-2017-cap-season#mail

          “Where to Mail Your H-1B Petition

          You must file your petition with the correct service center, depending on the H-1B beneficiary’s work location(s) as specified in the petition. We have specific mailing addresses for cases that are subject to the H-1B cap. To determine where you must mail your petition, see our Web page Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker.”

          Here it states that the Correct Service Center is decide by employee work location.

          So I still in dilemma.

          Could you please clarify me? Mine is California or Vermont?

          Reply

      • Hi H1B Help,

        My assumption is that the Center is based on Job location not based on Employer Location.
        in my case Job location is New Jersey, So I am thinking Service center should be Vermont.

        Please correct me if I am Wrong.

        Reply

  11. Prediction/Update:-

    Either the lottery is being conducted now or will be done tomorrow, coz they have removed the post of 13th april 2015, which says lottery done

    fingers crossed……………………

    Reply

    • Fingers crossed they say that they conducted a lottery for 85001 applications after weeding out the fraudulent ones. I’ll take my chances for not being that one poor soul who missed out!

      Reply

    • https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-completes-h-1b-cap-random-selection-process-fy-2016

      They haven’t removed the post. What u talking about? Lol.

      Reply

    • As per ImmigrationGirl there is an increase of 30% application as compare to previous year.

      It means there would be around 270k to 280k applications received this year.

      All the Best all of you !!!

      Reply

      • I am not sure if we can say that based on her law firm. I think she has gained immense popularity since last year because of the incredible job she has been doing through her blog.
        Obviously the more people know about you and trust you, the more companies and people would come to your law firm to file for H1B.

        Reply

        • Probably not so much to make such huge difference in numbers, companies have established relations for years with law firms who handle other issues as well related to immigration other than H1B, with set fee structures and trust

          Reply

  13. @ Priyanaka and all

    What john ray says might be correct though am not saying it is…

    Coz on 13th april they will announce that USCIS got so and so applications and hav finished conducting lottery , so only if lottery is some process that gets completed in a hour then we all might be correct on the assumption of lottery getting started on april 13th 10.am …

    But what if lottery is a process that takes days to complete having after getting started say on April 11th , having the applicants money being encashed , then i guess JOHN RAY is correct

    What say guys ??

    Reply

    • It might be true to some extent that lottery is conducted before, but saying that check was en-cashed today doesn’t make sense as 1. after lottery they would have to send it someone for processing, and they would do so in bulk, not case by case 2. checks do not get en-chased immediately and certainly not at 11 am on Monday.

      Reply

  14. @Bala, u r confusing or am i being confused…

    If u r from an MNC like cts , i dont think they wud have filed for you in a separate LCA… So having said that , is it possible to see an individuals i 29 or whatever in the USCIS site ???

    Pls anyone reply

    Reply

  15. application closed on 7th , after that USCIS takes 3 working days to enter data and perform lottery. so this time lottery will be on 13th april and my rough guess about application count is 190k-195k.

    PS: Very nice forum to discuss H1B lottery Thanks redbus2us Team

    Reply

  18. IBMers,

    Did anyone of you get a mail stating that the application was shipped?
    Is immigration team responding to such queries in general?

    Pls.respond.

    Reply

  19. If USCIS gets around 180k applications or less, they should announce the lottery today or tomorrow. That’s what they did for FY 2015. If we have to wait till Wednesday till they announce the lottery, then I expect the number of applications to be around last year’s numbers.

    Reply

  23. As we are just close to 60 hours for lottery & total count updates from USCIS, I need all the guys to predict the total count ONE last time… Lets see who gets closer to the actual number.

    Just reply with Number, no need to justify.

    My prediction is:

    1.4 Lakhs

    Reply

  24. Sending multiple petitions screws up the chances of some of the unfortunate applicants on this forum but it’s survival of the fittest! I have myself 2 petitions from different employers.. tough luck to you all! Some comments about sleepless nights sound pathetic!

    Reply

    • Only those who are well qualified will get select in lottery and not those of multiple petitions.

      Luck favors you more if you too deserve it.

      Reply

    • When you himself saying multiple applications screw up some dreams of deserving applicants why are they pathetic?? You must be aware of Indian IT industry how that works. It is so much difficult to make employer apply for your h1b. And many people are not rich enough to apply multiple petitions. However I understand the fact it is true luck game and not to blame each other. Good luck to all for the lottery!!

      Reply

    • As much as I have read extra $4000 ‘rule’ is applicable only if 50% of the employees in the company are H1b dependent. I could be wrong.

      Reply

      • A company is H1 dependant means more than 50% of their employees in US are H1 visa holders
        Don’t confuse it with H4. No relation at all.

        Reply

    • Companies that employ 50 or more employees in the United States if more than 50 percent of these employees are in H-1B, L-1A or L-1B nonimmigrant status then they need to pay the additional $4000

      Reply

  28. Guys,

    Am seriously loosing my hope here. Even though LCA data looks pretty decent but really not sure why all these sites are predicting between 250k and 270k espcially happy schools blog.

    But gotta belive as they have experience in these ..

    This part of my life is called SADNESS

    Reply

    • Why to be sad, what ever the number of applications be, those who are destined to be selected this year will be selected in the lot if those 65000. So, if God has no plan for allowing someone to be selected in lottery this year, then his/her name will not be selected even if the count is just 65001.

      This is nothing to be SAD for, so cheer up and keep enjoying life in its current state.

      Regards,
      Anuj

      Reply

    • HI friend,

      trying to explain you situation. Last year my employer filed 168 petitions through 168 LCA,
      This year he files 220 petitions through 12 LCA, even though count is less total number of petitions are high in numbers.

      But because of EAD rule and OPT extension, i believe some drop should be there, and that drop is coped up by new petitions. Still till the time USCIS declares number we don’t know.

      And believe in KARMA, what goes around comes around, stay strong stay positive you number will come.

      Reply

    • Dont believe on anyone…Happy School have had predicted 160 K to 180 K on 7 th April and changed it to 250K to 275k on 8th April…..

      Reply

  30. If USCIS declares the number of applications does that mean they had already finished the lottery stuffs. I mean how do we know if lottery has been done on which day?? Will we have any updates from USCIS?? Sorry for being dumb. This is my first time lottery and with one application. I am really having sleepless nights now a days when i see comments of people having multiple applications!!
    Thanks

    Reply

    • need_for_luck,
      USCIS releases an official press note saying lottery was done and how many applications were in lottery. They will tell on which day the lottery was done. Don’t worry too much, if you are meant to be picked, you will be picked, just take it easy…

      Reply

        • H1b info,

          It is not possible to know if they have already done the lottery selection or not. Once that is done, they will make the announcement (as Kumar mentioned).

          Reply

    • Dude that is not true!! all are equal in front of USCIS.
      Everyone in h1b lottery is waiting for their luck to strike.

      Reply

  35. Hi All,

    As number of applications depends on number of LCA’s filed, I think this time it would be 130k to 150 k.
    Hope this comes true.

    Thanks

    Reply

  41. Don’t worry. I would ensure all Indians get H-1B when I conquer the USA. Red promise of an ex-KGB.

    Heil CCCP!

    Reply

  42. HappySchoolsBlog team updated their count predictions.

    Initial Prediction – 180k – 200k
    Updated Prediction – 250k – 275k

    Its now getting real tough.

    Reply

  43. What? H1b program started for this year?? Oh my god… Oh my god… I was on a trip to Australia and Newzealand… How did I miss it?

    Reply

  45. To GOD,

    Even if am not selected, please dont select the below

    1) Jongadu
    2) Data Analysis
    3) Saurabh
    4)Rprogrammer

    Reply

  47. Hi All,

    Just want to say, I am fed up of this H1B thing. Last year was my first attempt….did not get through. This year also my company has filed…But seeing the approx. number of petitions and considering my luck, I don’t have much hope….I told my employer to send me somewhere else like Argentina…hope some of you would want to go with me as well..:D

    Reply

  48. Hi,

    I asked my employer about the tracking number of my H1B, but he gave me a common tracking number(He was telling we sent 5 applications in one fed-ex box).

    Is that possible to send multiple H1 applications in one fed-ex box? If yes , how can i find out that my application is there in that fed-ex box?

    Thanks.

    Reply

  49. Thanks for your reply.

    One more question: For PP applicants, after the lottery run, how long it takes to be informed if was selected or not?

    Thanks again.

    Reply

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