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H1B Visa 2018 News, Lottery, Fee, Predictions

H1B Visa 2018 – News, Quota, Cap, Lottery Results, FAQs

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This page is constantly updated with latest news, info, FAQs on current H1B 2018 season. Below are some topics, FAQs covered on this page.

  • Start of  H1B Visa 2018 season ?
  • H1B Quota for FY 2018 ?
  • H1B visa 2018 Lottery Predictions ?
  • Plan for H1B FY 2018 Application ?
  • Find Visa Sponsors for H1B 2018 ?
  • H1B Visa 2018 Fee ?
  • H1B 2018 Lottery Results
  • H1B 2018 Petitions  Tracker – Crowdsourced
  • New President Trump Administration Impact on H1B Visa 2018 Quota?
  • Latest News updates of H1B FY 2018

H1B 2018, 2019 Season is over, H1B 2020 Season Starts on April 1st, 2019.  Check out H1B Visa 2020 – Start Date, Fee, Lottery – FAQs 

If this is your first year of H1B visa filing, you must read What is H1B Visa, Requirements, Process . Not to scare you, Last year, there was lottery for H1B season and for FY 2017 USCIS received 236,000 applications .

When does H1B Visa 2018 Season Start ?
Update : USCIS accepted H1B Petitions for FY 2018 starting from April 3rd, 2017 until April 7th. They updated that H1B Cap was reached on April 7th, 2017. 
Typically, USCIS accepts H1B petitions for next fiscal year starting from April 1st. So, for FY 2018, the start date for accepting applications would be April 1st, 2017.  But, for FY 2018 season, April 1st falls on a Saturday, so USCIS will accept applications starting from Monday, April 3rd, 2017.   If you were wondering why called 2018, when in 2017, it is the fiscal year dates that dictate that. USCIS fiscal year is from October 1st to March 30th. So, technically the fiscal year for 2018 starts from October 1st and they accept petitions for the same 6 months before the start date and it would be April 1st, 2017.  You may read USCIS Press release for H1B 2017 Start Date 

What is H1B 2018 Quota ? Regular Cap vs Master’s Cap Quota ? 
Update : USCIS confirmed the below quota cap numbers in latest press release for FY 2018. 
To get some background, read H1B Quota – Regular vs Masters .  There have been many speculations on increasing the H1B Cap due to extremely high demand and bills proposed for the same in the past, nothing made it through. As of writing of this article, below is the H1B cap quota. We will keep this article updated as new changes come in.  The total H1B Quota as of today is 85,000 and it is split like below.

Regular H1B Quota  65,000
Master’s H1B Quota ( Only US Masters Degree Eligible) 20,000

Out of the above 85,000 quota, 6,800 are set aside for Singapore and Chile citizens as part of the free trade agreement between them. Also, check out the article with history of maximum H1B Cap from 1990 to 2017 

H1B 2018 Lottery Predictions ? 
It used to be a speculation whether we would have lottery in previous years, but in the past 4 years, lottery has become common. It is very likely that we would have lottery aka random selection for H1B 2018 season.  We have been writing predictions over the years and all of them have been accurate so far. Check out our H1B Visa 2018  Lottery Predictions – Data Analysis  to get an idea on how many H1B petitions you can expect for this fiscal year.

Update : USCIS Received 199,000 H1B petitions for fiscal year 2018.  H1B Lottery was conducted on April 11th, 2017.

Are you planning for next fiscal year, Read  H1B Visa 2019 – Lottery Date, News, FAQs 

When to plan for H1B 2018 Application – What should be your strategy ?
It is never too late to start planning…Depending on your situation, you may fall in one of the below categories and the suggestions are described below.

  • 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.
  • Working Professional from outside USA : If you are a working professional outside US, planning to work in US, especially  on H1B visa, your best bet is to find Multinational companies ( MNCs) 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. There may be many people already in-line for these visas, you need to plan carefully so that you are given a slot in the company’s filing for your next season application.
  • Other H4, L1 Visas :  If you are on these visas living in USA, 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.

For FY 2017, we have put together a Step by Step Plan on How to apply for H1B 2017 Quota, it gives a guideline on the planning and what steps exists.

How to find H1B Visa Sponsor for FY 2018 quota ?
This is probably the most asked question by everyone. It can be a tricky decision, you need be very careful to avoid fraud.

  • 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.
  • If you are professional planning to arrive in US from outside America,  it can be really 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

We have an article that we wrote for previous season, you may read article How to find H1B 2017 Sponsors to find out various options.

What is H1B Visa 2018 Fee ? How much does it cost for the company ? 

The H1B fee varies by the size of the company..As of FY 2017 season, it can range anywhere from $1,600 USD to $7,400 USD + Attorney Fee. On December 23, 2016 , USCIS increased the H1B fee component of base filing fees, which was $325. The below table is updated with the latest fee updates from USCIS.  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 from FY 2017 quota.  If any changes, we will update this accordingly.

H1B Fee Component Fee in USD
 Base filing fee $460
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

H1B 2018 Lottery Results – Checks Cashed, Receipts : 
One of the most asked questions is when will I get to know the lottery result for my petition. Well, this depends on many factors and there is no set SLA or date.  To put things in perspective,  last year, USCIS did a news alert indicating that they have returned all the rejected H1B petitions on July 8th, 2017. So, you can expect the last date for receiving final lottery decision around mid July 2017. …As we had about same number of petitions filed for FY 2018, it may be slightly earlier or even later in July or even early August 2017…  Few of the ways you would know, if you are selected in lottery is that, if the check that was filed with your H1B petition was cashed, or your employer gets the actual physical receipt notice in mail to them. If you filed under US masters quota, SEVIS update is another indication that you were selected in H1B lottery for FY 2018.  Ideally, your receipt numbers should arrive within 1 to 2 months…but, you never know, until you get a reject notice to be sure !

H1B 2018 Case Tracker  :
Did you apply for FY 2018 ?  With premium processing suspended, it is quite hard for applicants to know the general status of everyone to understand their situation. 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 2018 Case Tracker” href=”https://redbus2us.com/trackers/h1b-visa-tracker/”]
New President Trump Administration Impact on H1B Visa 2018 Quota?

We do not know, if this news release is directed by Trump administration or not…but, on April 3rd, 2017 the start date of H1B season, there were set of new announcements made by USCIS to report and prevent abuse of H1B program. Check out USCIS New measures to report, prevent H1B Fraud  . Besides this, as of the today ( article updated date), nothing has been officially ordered or specifically implemented by New President Trump Administration. There are many speculations on how H1B program will become tougher with higher wages, quota limits, etc… but, nothing has been officially signed. We will update the article as new updates come in.

Various H1B Bills  in US House and Senate  – Will they be passed for FY 2018 ?
There are few bills that are introduced in 2017 and at various stages in both house and senate. There are many confusions regarding the same bills like the minimum wage will go up to $130,000 USD, etc.  Fact is that nothing has passed and there are very slim chances for them to get passed before start of FY 2018 season. You can check H1B Bills Tracker to get more details on current status. We will keep the article updated as new things are passed.

Latest News about H1B 2018 Season 
High Level Latest News for FY 2018 is listed below. But, all the Latest News are tracked on our H1B 2018 News and Updates Tracker Page. Check out below.

[prompt type=”left” title=”H1B 2018 – 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 2018 Season.” button_text=”Latest H1B 2018 News” href=”https://redbus2us.com/h1b-visa-2018-cap-count-updates-tracker-latest-news-info/”]

Are you planning for FY 2018 quota ?  What are your questions ? Add your thoughts.

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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12,891 Comments

    • Finally Got selected in Lottery. Received the I-797C today.
      NonAD
      Received Date – 4/11
      Notice Date – 4/20
      Company – One of the Big 4

      Reply

      • Which company & which location?

        It won’t harm you, if you mention the Company name and your current location. It will only guide others, if they are from the same company.

        I hope you are not trolling ! This is an anonymous forum, where you can post the above details ! 🙂

        Reply

        • My intent was to let people know that Non-AD receipts have started coming in. So, keep your fingers crossed and best of luck !!
          Since this is a lottery, not sure if the company name matters.
          My receipt notice came from “USCIS/Vermont Service Center”.

          Reply

          • Few of my friends have received the receipt notices too in Non Ad category. But it has just started and we have a pool of 65000 so everyone is in. Not to worry.

  2. Hi Saurabh,

    I just heard from an adviser at my university, here is what he wrote “It looks like your H-1B was received. It doesn’t mean the application was Receipted or Approved.Your OPT is now extended to 9/30 unless your H-1B is rejected, withdrawn, or denied.” But when I asked him what is my receipt number on my I-20, he said he didn’t see any receipt number on my I-20. So I just want to ask if that’s possible, and if my petition was selected in the lottery? Because I thought USCIS will always have the receipt number on my I-20 if my petition was selected in the lottery. Thank you very much.

    Reply

    • Whoever filed application on behalf of you (lawyer) will get a receipt which will have the receipt number. You should ask your lawyer or ask your employer/adviser to talk to a lawyer and get a receipt number.

      Reply

    • Bro if you DSO wants to play it the smart way then be it. Go to your DSO and tell him you lost your I-20 the person has to provide you a new one because its your right to have the latest I-20 with you. You should also play smart on your end and go with a legal photo id (state or driving license). The new i-20 will have the receipt number on it. Good luck and Congrats.

      Peace out.

      Reply

    • Reading the comments through this blog brings more stress than clarifications. This is a lottery guys. It does not matter if you have applied through some big shots like Facebook, Google or some desi consultancy, you have been applying for three years or this is your first year, you have studied in the best of colleges or some questionable ones – there is no way that will affect the results.

      I don’t believe this is fair but any attempt to defame anyone based on their jobs, education or country is not fair as well. They are playing according to the rules. It’s just a game of probability. I am as worried as anyone else but we cannot control this, we can just be hopeful.

      Reply

  5. 3rd Atempt / AD / VT

    Checekd with school yesterday morning and the DSO told me No update to the SEVIS.
    lawyers also told me no updates on my applications. Asked them about the check being cashed they didn;t say anythig. I had given up my hope for this year as well.

    But Received the email with the receipt from lawyer in the evening around 6.00PM EST yesterday.

    Receipt notice date 4/17/2017
    Receive receipt date : 4/25/2017

    There is still hope. Don’t lose your hope.

    All the best everyone!!

    Reply

      • Thanks.

        Don’t worry. even for me this was my last attempt. Just be positive.
        My SEVIS got updated today even though I got the receipt yesterday. It is totally random. we should still see the receipts coming in.

        Reply

        • Hi ,
          My dso said change of status pending to h1b but my employer is not relieving anything he told he will send receipt copy whenever he receives receipt

          Reply

  6. Hers what I know from Microsoft Full time employees grp in Redmond/Seattle : Seattle AD receipts coming up one by one seems EVERYBODY’S getting it ! surprising .

    For NON AD : I have a friend who got a Non AD cheque cashed today . Software testing guy the cheque was cashed today at 8:20 AM .

    Reply

    • Microsoft Full time Seattle,

      I disagree with you. AFAIK, Microsoft attorneys don’t declare in their mail that they ‘received notice’ or ‘check got cached’. They just mention that your application is accepted.

      If you want to prove your point, you may give us the snapshot of that email.

      Reply

  7. Wake Up IBMers and the IBM Immigration Team !

    By this time last year, IBMers started getting the receipts.

    Whats happening this year ?

    No news and no scent of the selected receipts ! Strange !

    :O

    IBMers please respond. We need to be heard and acknowledged. Use all your contacts, grab information on the receipts and educate other IBMers in this Forum !

    Reply

  8. 1st Attempt, Non- AD with 14 years experience , Working for US Pharma company, Salary $ 115 K , Application submitted at Vermont center.

    I received email from my attorney as; “Your checks were cashed! No receipt notice yet” .

    Does it mean my H-1B visa petition picked into lottery ?

    Reply

  14. I have a query.

    Does USCIS send notice first to the selected ones and then send notifications to non-selected ones? Or it sends notices for both the cases simultaneously?

    Your response would be appreciated. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Non selected will begin in June/July. They first process the ones who got selected because after lottery there is this whole background check sort of thing happening where sometimes people get RFE and stuff.

      Your query only shows frustration and all you want to hear is there is still hope just for some satisfaction. Grow up. Sit tight, receipt is on its way to you.

      I am sorry but i come here to get or give some relevant information and now a days people only post the same stuff again and again.

      Reply

  16. Received an email from fragomen today that my case has been picked.

    AD/VT

    I had tried reaching out to my DSO, but their policy doesnt allow them to share anything about SEVIS (Its just the school policy)

    I have been anxiously waiting, and i understand most of you are as well.
    Keep your finger’s crossed and hope for the best.

    Reply

  17. Is there any priority on FY-2017 applications over FY-2018 candidates.
    Ideally they should clear pending FY-2017 and pickup new FY-2018 applications, other wise it is no justice making people wait indefinitely.
    Was it a practice in the past or still they can pickup randomly? There are around 500 cases still in ‘Case Was Received’ state.
    What is your view on this?
    Thanks

    Reply

    • You are very conveniently ignoring the fact that not every applicant has the luxury to keep applying every year. Many don’t have STEM OPT and many don’t have the opportunity to keep on applying from their home countries. Some of us only get ONE chance.and Obviously there is no priority for repeat applicants.

      Reply

      • Shreya,

        Pretty sure that’s not what he is referring to. He is asking if an application filed in FY-17 and still pending w/ USCIS should be processed before petitions filed in FY-18. He is not talking about repeat applicants.

        USCIS would process older pending petitions first. However, at times there are outliers and some petitions remain pending for more than a year (I read a case where it was pending for almost 2 years). Most common reason is security review. If your petition is pending then your attorney/employer should follow-up w/ USCIS and get an update.

        Reply

        • But what does that have to do with lottery for 2018?
          Yes the processing of 2017 should be done before the processing of 2018. Fail to see how the processing of 2017 is connected to the lottery of 2018.
          Am I missing some USCIS process or has this comment been posted on the wrong post?

          Reply

          • Shreya,

            The person is asking in 2018 H-1B post if his 2017 petition would be processed before 2018 petitions. I can see why he would post here, especially when most of the traffic is on this post.

            Still, I don’t know why you have to berate his question. You could have ignored his post instead of lecturing him on something that he didn’t even ask. Do I see an apology coming (to him) – probably not.

  18. Second time h1b application in Infy. Accustomed to this waiting game. We wont be knowing the result for atleast a month. Time to sit back and relax.

    Actually it has been a hectic month. Not able to concentrate in work properly. Having been selected in the internal ‘lottery’ itself was a great feeling. Odds were 1 in 10 for my unit. Compared to this 1 in 3 odd of getting picked in lottery doesn’t taunt me.

    Feeling lucky and blessed so far. Everyone’s story line has already been written. All that is left is to wait and accept what is to come. One thing for sure, never lose hope. There is a reason everything happens.

    By the by feeling sorry for many AD guys who have 6 digit figure and still had to play this lottery game. Life is not fair.

    Wish you all the very best for your future.

    Reply

  20. Master’s AD 3rd and final attempt….still no update from lawyer and no change in SEVIS status….feeling really depressed and hopeless….good luck to you all

    Reply

  22. How does USCIS process the selected applications? Is this by company name (A-Z); applicant name; application received date…..? My employer filed h1b for 7 ppl and no cheque has been cashed yet. Any thoughts?

    Reply

    • I guess it starts processing by service center location wise and selected lottery petition number wise…. it is possible that one service center may have more applications than other and may process faster or slower than other…. or may have different result if processed same case at two different centers(it never happens though..but i guesa you know what i mean to say here)…

      Reply

    • WinterIsComing,

      I don’t think there is any particular order as all selected petitions are considered to have been received on same date. So they would just randomly order them, and start issuing receipts.

      Reply

    • My company submitted for 13 ppl, including 10 ppl in VT and 3 ppl in CA. Some checks were cashed for VT, no for CA. My application submitted to CA, so is there any hope for me?

      Reply

  24. Any update on TCS?

    – Is the status showing WP filed for everyone?

    – When will TCS inform about lottery result?

    Reply

  25. AD_Last chance:

    1. Hi, Do I still have any hope??? Last chance for AD. STEM OPT extension ends feb 2018.

    Checked with DSO – no update – April 24
    Cheque not cashed – April 21.

    your thoughts??

    Reply

    • Technically you can try again next year and your cap-gap still works, just that you cannot work between Apr and Oct.

      Good luck!

      Reply

      • How does cap-gap apply in this case if OPT expires in Feb 2018? Shouldn’t OPT expiry between Apr 1 st and Sep 30th in order to qualify for cap-gap?

        Reply

        • OPT rules,

          The person would be in 60 day grace period on April 1, and so still eligible for cap-gap. This would allow the person to stay in US but doesn’t provide work authorization as OPT has expired.

          Reply

  28. Any update on TCS?

    – Is the status showing WP filed for everyone?

    – When will TCS inform about lottery result?

    Reply

  30. My company only filed 5 to 7 petitions and out of that today I got to know from my colleague that her case is selected through lottery and hr told her that.. when I asked hr few days back she was like “we are getting notices but no info upon your petition till now” ..does USCIS sends all the receipt notices in a bulk to one particular firm or they might do it individually…like is my chance over ???
    I am thinking it in this was bcz when my firm filed for h1 they have sent all the petitions together to USCIS so even USCIS might sent all the receipt notices for the selected candidates for my firm together…
    Please help me understand

    Reply

    • NonIT_NonAD,

      There is no certainty that USCIS will issue all the receipts together in a “bundle”. They can come separately on different dates.

      Reply

  32. Guys, I have h1b visa. Please advise if it is good to go usa a and find job there??? I didn’t go last year due to family problems. Is it worthwhile now to find???

    Reply

    • Mahesh,

      You already have the job – its with the company that filed your H-1B. If you enter US on H-1, they need to agree to it and you are supposed to work for them. If its a consulting company, then they would have mentioned a client/project and that’s where you will be working. If that project is no longer available, then find another one, apply for H-1 amendment and then travel to US to work at new client location; or apply for H-1 transfer and then enter US to work for the new employer.

      Reply

      • Great. The administrator of this website is again helping fraudsters commit fraud.

        He clearly abused the system and got his visa and now you, Saurabh, are advising him to continue abuse the system.

        Reply

          • @Shreya & Paul: Fraud – Really? Help me understand why it is a fraud. You guys have no idea as to how Maheah received his/her H1B.. do you? Not fair to suggest only the folks in US are qualified for H1B. Having said that I am disappointed at all the fraudsters.. fake multiple petitions folks. This is my 3rd time applying for H1B. I did my MS & PhD here in US.. and been here over 11 years..I hope the new administration really fixes this mess.

        • Paul,

          How am I enabling him to continue abusing the system. Is changing employers an abuse of system? I thought I was pretty clear in explaining what his H-1 is for and who he can work. Had I suggested him to enter US on false pretext to work for H-1 employer and then shop around, then that would have been an abuse of system (and also illegal)/

          If a person who applied in AD comes and ask about switching employers, my response would exactly be the same. I don’t judge people and simply respond to what they allowed to and what not.

          Reply

  33. Hi Admin,

    My H1B was approved last year, but after that 2 amendments have happened. Last amendment was sent to USCIS on 18th April 2017. Will there be any delay in getting the receipt notice because of current year visa processing that is going on? The expected response time given by my company’s immigration team is 2 to 3 weeks. My travel depends on this receipt notice.

    Reply

    • H1B_2017_Approved,

      Receipt notice should still be issued within 2-3 weeks and received by employer/attorney within 30 days. They delay would happen on actual processing of the amendment petition and not on the receipt generation.

      Reply

      • Bro,

        The Immigration team might not have got any information. They mostly file for the California location and they have only filed 30% of actually nominated cases. The receipt notices for the California location selected cases from lottery are slowing coming in.

        I checked with my case manager and then his manager. They clearly mentioned that IBM is yet to get the receipts (that was yesterday). I don’t think that they have got any updates so far. If they would have got, then we IBMers would have started to get the news ! 🙂

        I was feeling, you are posting messages here, as if they will read it from “Redbus2us” and respond ! 😛

        NOTE: One thing common for this time filed LCA’s from IBM is that, only those who have applied for more than ones (including this time, as one of the criteria), have been considered for the finally filed LCA’s. So anybody who has not got it last time has equal chances (equally luck/unlucky) as compared to his/her peers who are nominated this time.

        TIP: Just don’t forget to post any news regarding the “Receipts”, once you are aware of any ! Let’s keep encouraging each other ! Good Luck IBMers & all other enthusiasts who have been eagerly awaiting for the Lottery Results !

        Reply

        • It might be true that immigration is not having much of an update now..but when they send it..what medium they use ? is it thru email or thru inszoom..i am not seeing any update in inszoom…and i dont think they regularly update inszoom

          Reply

          • Yeah. They are rarely updating inszoom specially in India location. Infact for example my certified LCA received on Jan but still in inszoom it’s not updated and next step is updated ?.
            For your question last year they sent through email with receipt number and also updated in zoom aswell. But this year not sure.

          • You had mentioned”they have only filed 30% of actually nominated cases”

            How we know,whose case are filed? so that unnecessary wait can be avoided,if not filed our case?Manager confirmed it but still I doubt because of the above statement and we never know what happens at higher level of filtering.Mine is not first time.

    • Same here, asked DSO yesterday no update.

      Now started to get worried.

      Still, lets hope for best and prep for worst.

      Reply

      • I am trying to stay positive but would also like to understand our options in the worst case scenario. I believe these are some options –
        1. Work in home country
        2. Work in canada/elsewhere

        Are there any other legit options ?

        Thanks!

        Reply

  43. For this year, odds will favor for AD guys filed through big MNCs in IT, Medicine, Firmware Industries etc and for NON AD category odds will be in favor for MNCs like INFY, CTS , Accenture, IBM etc what do you say guys? because chance of getting RFE and denial is very less compared to body shops and hope USCIS would give more weight-age to these category applicants based on past year rejected data

    Reply

  45. Some CTS guy posting wrong info about receipt notices . Have checked with around 20 known people who got their nomination approved for FY18 H1b. CTS yet to announce lottery results and it will be in first week of may for offshore associates.

    Reply

  46. Hello Saurabh,

    Some help on my situation would be greatly appreciated as I am very worried. I work in the bay area for a good company and this is my last and final H1B attempt. I kept filing single petition with my company since past 3 years and it never worked out. I found a big consultancy who had a client in the adjacent building who were willing to help me because my boss recommended me to them based on my situation and the fact that they have good relations with my boss (NOT a Desi consultancy and No , I did not pay a penny for this). Now I am worried that maybe I made a mistake 🙁 Both my petitioners, job roles, salaries are different but buildings are adjacent . Did they reject both my petitions thinking it was same client due to buildings next to each other ? did they not put me in the lottery? I have not heard back from either attorneys. Again , I did not pay for H1B, this consultancy interviewed me and did not charge me, I know I am honest. But will USCIS see it that way? I am regretting doing two petitions but the circumstances pushed me to such desperate measures 🙁 Please help !

    Reply

    • They dont reject petitions for duplicated filings. USCIS says, they wont return the filing fees if duplicate filings, and if one of those is selected.
      No chance they reject if for the said reason. All the best.

      Reply

    • WorriedADVT,

      Hello fellow Bay Area mate 🙂 Some good weather we are having …

      I would categorize duplicate filings into 3 categories:
      1. Same company filing two petitions for you – these would be outright rejected
      2. Not so obvious duplicate filing (for example – sister companies, same corporate structure etc) – these would result in RFE asking for clarification.
      3. Mutually exhaustive duplicate filing (for example petitions filed through Google and a consulting company) – these should not face any hiccups. If one of the employers is a reputed company, USCIS would determine there is a pretty low chance that they were involved in intentional duplicate filing, and would not concentrate on the multiple petition angle.

      So assuming, you are somewhere b/w #2 and #3, I don’t think there would be an outright rejection. USCIS would either ignore the fact of multiple petitions or in worst case scenario raise RFE to seek clarification. There are still few more weeks to go before one throws in the towel. Stay optimistic and good luck!

      Reply

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