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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

    • the chances are slim my friend. I want to say – Good Luck but our fates were sealed on April 11. All we do now is (understandably) get nervous waiting for the result. We have to move on and find other cool stuff to do..

      Reply

  2. Is it over for CTS? As far as I heard there were no RN yesterday & today.. Does anyone received RN yester or today?

    Reply

  5. Hi
    i received Email like this
    sub: H1B visa lottery receipt notice

    I am excited to let you know that we received a H1B visa receipt notice for you! This means you were chosen in the H1B visa lottery for fiscal year 2018. This is not an approval, but we anticipate that you will receive an approval within the next few months.
    Regards,

    please let me know what does it say s(selected or not selected?)

    Reply

      • Oooooo avalv tha. Tcs got scrutinized. I got to know the information. Guys please plan for resignation. Tcs no hike no onsite what the situation we are

        Reply

  10. The attorney told me that they received 2 different receipts numbers for my case. However, the checks were cashed out once. I did not do multiple petitions, just one employer & one petition.
    Has anyone experienced the same problem?

    Reply

    • Weird totally. Never heard of such thing. Ask them to check the name in the receipt notice again. Kindly verify it and keep us informed.

      Reply

  11. AD : I know you spent more than 20L and many have experience. If you did not get you will get disappointed. Think Why you came here ? If you have studied well ,you would have got job. Using 3 years OPT you can earn more than what you have invested and still apply for H1B outside the country with AD category. Don’t waste your energy thinking about H1B. If you believe in your talent,you can shine anywhere in the world. Diamond is a Diamond. If you came here just for enjoyment and trying to settle in US with this loop hole, You can worry.

    NonAD: I know you have lot of problems back in your country, few people did not get good college because of reservation, so life has turned upside down. Finally ended with one of the services company Infy,TCS,CTS etc . Now looking for H1B opportunity to become rich and maintain that high class, yeah if you are poor you wont become low class, your caste decide whether you are high class or low class. Sadly there is no BC,MBC,SC,ST quote in H1B. Indian government should speak to the USCIS about this. Yeah there are few people who are poor in low caste, they should be given chances. Is there any provision to update the case from BC,SC,ST to General once they utilize the reservation. They will study and get central government jobs, He will earn a lot and send his children to USA (still low caste but rich). Will get green card and settle.

    Enjoy your life. Life is beyond H1b.

    Reply

    • Damn! You use caste a lot. I dont know if you realize but no one really gives a rat’s ass about caste or not. I am suprised by how easily people post their dumb opinions. What’s wrong with you dumb ass?

      Reply

  15. Did any one get updates from BAL Global? I am yet to hear from them regarding my h1b petition?

    I am a non-AD, CA applicant.

    Reply

  16. Hello everyone, my employer received approval notice for my case yesterday and i will receive the hard copy thru courier soon. Can anyone tell me what would be the next steps??

    Reply

  18. Hi Kumar & Saurabh,

    I do have a meddling question, looking for your inputs.

    “My H1b Reciept notice has a spelling error in my last name, and when i contacted my attorney about the same. He suggested me to wait till the premium processing resumes and will apply for the name correction with an explanation”

    Will their be any implications with the approval process, if the name is left uncorrected and the USCIS starts looking into approval of the application.

    Thanks for the reply in advance.

    Reply

    • Hey Tyler,
      You need not wait for premium processing to be resumed for name updation. You can do it right away. It’s a simple process which your Attorney can do, and it is updated immediately. Though, It can be done at any stage of the processing or even after approval. It’s good to do at the earliest.

      Reply

    • Premium processing is suspended fro 6 months which means until earlier part of October and there is no assurance that they will resume this after that time they may extend this suspension for more days.

      Your attorney sounds like a dumb one. Why do you have to wait for premium processing for a simple update which USCIS will do it in very simple process and faster. What happens if an RFE is issued by USCIS regarding your name instead of straight approval, which may delay your approval process.

      Just ask your attorney to think with brain not by ass and update the case.

      Reply

  19. Hi All,

    My H1 check got en-cached on 28th Apr, but receipt number not yet received. Any idea how long it will take to get the receipt number. thank you.

    Reply

  21. Saurabh, Kumar, MEng,

    Are the applications gonna be processed in order of receipts sent?

    Non AD, Engg+MBA, 8 years work experience. Moved here few months back to join husband and have an offer with tier 2 firm. How does it work for H4 visa holders, does the status autochange (as told by the company)? I’m non-IT, have a BA profile.

    Thanks a bunch

    Reply

    • If you are in H4 and applied for H1B, they should be applying as change of status. If it’s applied as Change of status, then once approved you can’t start working from October 1, 2017. If it’s not applied as Change of status, then after getting your H1B approved, you should either travel to your country get H1B stamping, travel to US on H1B and start working. If not, you have to apply for Change of status from H4 to H1B, get it approved and start working.

      Reply

      • Correction :
        If you are in H4 and applied for H1B, they should be applying as change of status. If it’s applied as Change of status, then once approved you can start working from October 1, 2017. If it’s not applied as Change of status, then after getting your H1B approved, you should either travel to your country get H1B stamping, travel to US on H1B and start working. If not, you have to apply for Change of status from H4 to H1B, get it approved and start working.

        Reply

  22. My employer has branch in Canada and willing to transfer me to Canada for 1 year. How long does it take to get Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) visa paperwork done and get visa? My OPT expires on July 6.

    Please share your experience.

    Reply

    • If your employer got a job for you in Canada he must be able to file for work visa very quickly but as CANADA is a drop box process we cannot say how much time it will take.

      Note: You may be eligible for Greencard if you can prove that you have job in CANADA and if you did masters. This process may take 6 months.

      Reply

  24. With the first day of the week almost done, no news yet ! Chances look slim going forward. All the best everyone, let’s stay optimistic and create positive environment.

    Reply

  25. Hello policy pundits–If Petition end date is 05/12/2019:when I go for visa stamping will it be given for 3 years from oct-1st or it will be the petition End date(05/12/19)??

    Reply

  26. 5 times unlucky.. Advanced degree! I calculated the probability of being unlucky 5 times with advanced for 4 of those attempts (total 9 times in lottery), it was 3.75 %! Am i that unlucky ? Time to say bye bye to USA

    Reply

      • Yes , I am taking this as gods will . Each one of us has a different path sketched for us by destiny . This is not mine . I am done now . I got good education and experience from here , time to make a life elsewhere .

        Reply

    • I was under the impression that the cap was exceeded in the first five days (hence lottery) only since 2014. That would mean you are only a fourth timer.

      Also how were you able to maintain your legal F-1 status for so long? I thought you could only get three years of OPT if you are a STEM graduate so even if your employer petitioned for you as you were about to graduate, you would still have gotten into at most four lotteries.

      Am I missing something?

      Reply

      • You are right ! I had 5 attempts in 4 years ! My stem opt ends in a month . This being my last chance , my company applied for me and so did their vendor ! I didn’t pay for either attempt as their vendor also interviewed me ! Doesn’t matter though …2 attempts this year and one attempt each for the 3 years before this couldn’t save me !! It’s just not in my luck . I see people who paid 3 consultancies and got two picked .. I just can’t digest it ?

        Reply

  27. 2nd attempt
    CA
    AD
    WAC17135
    Business
    Received date 4/11, notice date 4/14
    My employer just received notice today.

    Reply

  28. 2nd attempt
    AD
    VT
    PhD STEM
    Startup in Boston
    Receipt No. – EAC-17-150-51XXX
    Lawyer received I797C – 08MAY2017
    Receipt date – 11APR2017
    Notice date – 29APR2017

    Thank you for your inputs and good luck to all.
    Added my case to the tracker as well.

    Reply

  30. Got picked in lottery. Don’t lose hope. I did not have proper food for past few days. Praying to the God. by Gods grace it should be approved. Genuine candidate. Have skills and experience. Working for good company

    Reply

  31. I have not got any update on the petition. Should I expect it to be rejected? or is there any chance it to be selected?

    Reply

  33. Received notification from employer that the check was cashed on May 2nd. Reached out to my DSO for updates on SEVIS on 2nd, 3rd and 4th(After Data Entry). No updates (No reply on 4th). On 05/05 my school updated me with the RN. My SEVIS was updated. No idea what that means, but maybe it helps someone. I am not going to celebrate till i get the approval.

    Reply

  35. Need help!!!
    Hey all,
    I called to DSO on may 5, He said no update on my sevis. As i applied on AD-US Master, is there any hope yet for me. I am worried as no change on my SEVIS until may 5, applied on AD though. Please comments.

    Thanks

    Reply

    • It seems that the hope is limited. I called on May 5th too and was informed SEVIS was not updated. Almost lost hope!!!

      Reply

  36. OMG………………….. really lost hope and at last got the email from attorney this morning, lawyer received receipt on May 6th . AD/VT/Non-IT 3rd Attempt.

    Reply

      • I was in same boat last year. You might have to wait for end of May to get to know the status of your lottery. Your supervisor \ GL\PL will get the lottery result from FDFU. Chennai FDFU is very slow in updating the status in the system and FDFU will respond to you once they receive approval \ RFE notice from USCIS.

        For me, this long wait is finally ended and I’ve reached US.

        My best wishes are with you guys.

        Reply

  39. I have not heard any news yet for cheque chased or notification for my application. How long can we expect it? or it is done now?

    Reply

  40. Everything is over for Now in CGFS.
    whoever are selected are already been updated.
    Rest including me need to wait next 365 days.

    Reply

  41. Hello guys,

    I received my notice today from HR of our company. I am an AD/Vermont, working in USA. The receipt notice was created on April 28th. HR received the notice today, before Fragomen contacted or updated their system. I hope there are more notices on the way. I wish all of you guys the best and God bless you all.

    Reply

        • Congratulations.. So receipt directly came to your company’s HR or first it came to Fragomen and then they have sent to HR..? Thanks for the updates..

          My company has also filed my petition through Fragomen.. Hoping for receiving receipt soon.. 🙂

          Reply

          • Thank you, the notice directly came to HR. They told me both the sponsoring company and Fragomen receive notices. I think whichever receives first will let you know. Good luck to you and I hope you receive your receipt very soon!

      • @CG … Seriously ….” Origination ” …. Jaahil Ganwaar …. aa jaate hhain ,,…. bhasad machi hui hai sabko line mein lagna hai ….. panchayati hai sab ……

        Reply

  44. For the bachelor’s degree in the US, won’t the SEVIS be updated even if it the petition is picked???

    Reply

        • I checked with GIS team and came to know that they have received the list of lottery . Probably in 1 or 2 days they will notify us.

          Reply

          • Hey, thanks so much for the update here. Even i had called them for updates yesterday, even checked with WPC SPOC, but they said we haven’t heard anything as of now. That’s strange. Who from GIS did you check it with in particular ?

  47. Anybody who gets the notification this week is gifted just for staying hopeful and positive. I doubt there will be a lot especially almost nil for folks from companies like Infy/TCS etc. where systems have already been updated.

    Anyone from these companies, please do post uour updates. It would also be great to know the Receipt date as that would help others either stay hopeful or let it go this time.

    Reply

    • Hi

      Curious as to how one can identify the receipt date. Is there a way to get this info or is this something communicated by the lawyer when he receives a notification from USCIS.

      Thanks

      Reply

      • I think it should definitely be there on the receipt. It will be the date the receipt was generated.

        There tends to be a week delay for the receipt to be received by employer/attorney and another couple of days for systems to be updated internally.

        Firms like Infy/Tcs which get receipts in bulk will still have receipts generated on different days.

        Reply

  49. I checked my SEVIS number in DSO last Friday and I was told there’s not anything in the system showing that I have been selected. So sad! But I have a question: I applied for H1B with my bachelor’s degree of my homeland because I haven’t graduated with my master’s degree in the States. If I was picked, will my current SEVIS of master’s program be updated? I still stick to the hope although I know it’s already very small…

    I appreciate all of your updates in the hard time! Could anybody answer the question? Thanks!

    Reply

    • What I believe is SECIS would only be updated if your case was filed in Advance Degree Cap. If it was filed in regular non advance cap then sevis wont update… as your filing employer…

      Reply

    • Hopeforever,

      Contrary to the other response, I think SEVIS update would show as long as COS from F-1 to H-1 has been applied. It doesn’t matter whether you applied in AD or not.

      Reply

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