Home » US Immigration - Visas » H1B Visa » H1B Visa 2020 – News, Lottery, Deadlines, Fee – FAQs

H1B Visa 2020 – News, Lottery, Deadlines, Fee – FAQs

This page has all details, FAQs, latest news updates that are related to the H1B Visa 2020 season that started in April 2019. Previous H1B season details are at H1B Visa FY 2019 Quota.

H1B 2020 Season is over, Check out details of current H1B 2022 season at H1B Visa 2022 – Registration, Lottery, Fee – FAQs

If this is your first time filing H1B, please read H1B Visa Basics – FAQs like Requirements, Quota, LCA, etc.

When does H1B visa 2020 Season start ?  What is the start date ? 

Update : USCIS announced on March 19th that they will accept H1B 2020 petitions starting from April 1st.

Based on past history, it would be Monday, April 1st, 2019.  The rationale is that, USCIS starts accepting applications for the next fiscal year exactly 6 months before the start of the next fiscal year. USCIS fiscal year for 2020 year starts from 1st October 2019, which means they would accept applications for FY 2020 from April 1st, 2019.  This will change for the next H1B FY 2021 Season as USCIS has published New H1B Registration Rule, where employers will register much ahead of the April 1st date and go through process to be able to file petitions on April 1st.

What is H1B visa 2020 Quota for Regular and Masters filings ?

H1B quota is listed below. There are no changes to the cap count, USCIS confirmed that in their press release in March 2018.  Below are the numbers.  For first timers,  this quota is also called the H1B Visa Cap. You can read more at What is H1B Cap ? Regular vs Masters quota ?

  • H1B Regular Quota : 65,000 visas
  • H1B Master’s Quota : 20,000 visas. ( only US Masters eligible)

Also, of the overall 85,000 visa cap, every year 6,800 visas are set aside for the citizens of Singapore and Chile as part of the Free Trade Agreement with them. There were few bills part of Comprehensive Immigration Reform that are not active in Senate that were proposed from Obama administration days to change the cap count to 110,000 and Masters to 25,000, including potential to make H1B cap extend up to 180,000. But nothing has moved and all are dormant. Nothing new has been proposed by the new Trump Administration regarding changing cap count. To get a glimpse of historical cap count changes, you may check H1B visa cap count history from 1990 to 2017

H1B Lottery Predictions for FY 2020 ?

Update : USCIS announced on April 5th that they received enough petitions for Regular cap quota and there would be lottery.

We had H1B lottery for the last 6 consecutive years starting H1B FY 2014. Looking at historical trend of H1B filings, cap reach dates, it is very likely possible that we would have lottery for FY 2020 quota.  We have written a detail article on this topic, read H1B Visa 2020 Lottery Predictions, Dates, Results, Analysis.

H1B Visa 2020 Lottery Date ?  Results ?

If we look at the H1B lottery, we have three things, one is when the H1B petitions are accepted for the lottery, second is when the actual lottery is done and third is when the H1B lottery results for everyone are out.

  • Applications Accepted for H1B Lottery : H1B visa petitions for next fiscal year would be accepted by USCIS from Monday April 1st, 2018 for 5 working days until April 5th, 2018 to be part of the H1B Visa lottery.
  • H1B Visa Lottery conducted date : The actual lottery date depends on various factors depending the volume of petitions and USCIS load. It can be anywhere in second week of April. For FY 2019, H1B lottery was conducted on April 11th. Similarly, for FY 2018, the actual H1B Lottery was done on April 11th, 2017 . We can expect anywhere around the same dates like April 11th or April 13th.
  • H1B 2020 Lottery Results for Everyone : This is probably the most asked question as many applicants wait in state of uncertainty. USCIS, only informs about actual results for everyone after they completed sending our receipts for accepted petitions.  So, technically, you may need to wait for a long time to get the actual results, depending on if you were selected in lottery or not. For FY 2019, USCIS sent our all rejected applications on July 30th, with a timeline given until August 13th. So, you can hear your lottery results anywhere from April second week to August 13th..that’s a long waiting window !
    • Update : USCIS released a press note confirming that that returned all H1B petitions that were not picked in lottery and you should get a mail by Aug 29, 2019. So, your final date for lottery result date for FY 2020 is Aug 29, 2019.

How to find H1B visa 2020 Sponsors ? 

It can be very hard to find a good employer and convince them to sponsor H1B to work in US with major unknown like H1B Visa lottery.  Depending on your situation, you would be in one of the three scenarios, if you are seeking a H1B Sponsor. 

  • F1 Student in US : You can find an internship or co-op at an employer who can sponsor H1B visa and ask them to sponsor your H1B. You can continue to work on OPT once you graduate as well. You find the list of H1B Sponsoring companies using the tool or  H1B Grader – Sponsors Database 
  • International Professionals  : If you are outside of US, it can be tricky with all the latest rules by Trump administration. Your best bet is to find an multi-national company ( MNC) and work through them to sponsor H1B visa. You may have hurdles inside the company with all the internal process, many waiting, etc. But, it is up to you to negotiate and ask them to take a chance. Many try the IT body shop route, where they ask them to file H1B. Rules have changed in the last few years and it is very risky move and can jeopardize your US hopes. Read comments on this H1B Companies Reviews article  to get an idea and  beware of such consulting companies to avoid fraud.
  • Important Note : We, as RedBu2US, DO NOT Provide any H1B sponsorship or guide anyone using professional services or fee. If anyone approaches you by saying our name, it is pure FRAUD…beware !

If you are looking for more details, check out Guide on How to Find H1B Visa Sponsors 2020

What is H1B 2020 Filing Fee ? 

H1B visa petition filing involves USCIS fee towards certain things and attorney fees, which varies by company size, and attorney involved for the case.  As of FY 2019 season, it can range anywhere from $1,600 USD to $7,400 USD + Attorney Fee.  In year 2016, for FY 2018, the H1B base filing fees, increased from  $325 to $460.  Also, premium processing fee increased from $1,225 to $1,410, effective October 1st, 2018. Below table is a high level summary from FY 2019 quota as of writing, it maybe subject to change as we approach towards the filing date.  If any changes, we will update this accordingly.    Also, you can Read Summary of H1B Filing Fee – Who pays for What ? .

H1B Fee – Paid TowardsAmount 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)$1,410 ( from Oct 1, 2018)
Immigration Attorney FeeVaries from $500 to $3000

What is New H1B Registration Rule ?

USCIS and DHS went through 9 Steps of Federal rule making process to change the H1B lottery process and published the final rule on Jan 31st, 2019.  In the  new registration rule, employers register their potential H1B hires during the H1B registration window in the USCIS registration system.  USCIS will conduct lottery on the registrations and inform the selected registrants to file H1B petition on April 1st. In the new process, the order of H1B lottery is changed to select Regular cap quota petitions first and then Masters quota petitions. For more info, read Summary of New H1B Registration Rule

Will the New H1B Registration Rule be applicable for FY 2020 Season ?

Not fully.  USCIS is suspending H1B Registration Rule for H1B FY 2020 cap season to design, implement and complete user testing of system and make sure the system is ready. USCIS will formally announce this suspension for FY 2020 on their website.  So, for the upcoming H1B Visa FY 2020 season , the current process of accepting H1B Petitions for 5 business days and then conducting lottery from the received petitions will be followed. But, one change to the current process will be done, which is the order of the H1B lottery will be changed, where first regular quota petitions are selected in lottery to fulfil 65,000 petitions cap from entire pool of applications and then master quota petitions are selected in lottery order to fulfil the masters quota cap of 20,000. Read complete info at H1B Lottery Changes for FY 2020 Season

H1B 2020 Processing Timelines – Regular vs Premium ?

You would know about the H1B Lottery result for your H1B Petition filed with USCIS, if you either receive a Receipt Notice from USCIS or a Rejected Package indicating you were not picked in Lottery. The timeline for receiving receipts is different for regular vs premium processing. We have put together all the details in a detail article addressing all of these questions. Read H1B 2020 Lottery Results – Premium vs Regular Processing Timeline 

H1B 2020 Case Tracker  :

Did you submit or plan to submit H1B petition for FY 2020 ?  In general, the wait for H1B receipts, lottery results, and processing is quite frustrating without any status until you receive something from USCIS.  You would be curious to know others status…so, to have a general view on the statuses movement for entire community, 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 2020 Case Tracker” href=”https://redbus2us.com/trackers/h1b-visa-tracker/”]

What’s the latest news for H1B Visa 2020 Season ?

Below is the list of latest news by date related to FY 2020 season.

  • Aug 15, 2019(Official ) : USCIS released a press note today indicating that they have returned all the petitions that were not selected in H1B 2020 Lottery. They say that, if you do not hear back from USCIS by Aug 29, 2019, you can reach out to them. See below screenshot. You can read the USCIS Press release
  • June 7, 2019(Official ) : USCIS released a press note today indicating that they will begin premium processing for all H1B 2020 cap subject petitions starting from June 10th, 2019.  Technically, now you can upgrade your H1B petition, if you have filed it as COS or Consular processing. All in all, anyone can upgrade their case to Premium processing.  Check the USCIS Official Press Release
  • May 17th, 2019(Official ) : USCIS announced that they have completed data entry and will start sending out the reject notices now…Also, they may transfer some cases as well to balance the load. If you see a status change, nothing to worry.  Check the USCIS Official Press Release
  • April 11th, 2019(Official ) : USCIS announced today evening that they have reached masters cap and also announced completion of H1B lottery for FY 2020. They received a total of 201,011 petitions. Read H1B 2020 Lottery Completed News Summary 
  • April 5th, 2019Official ) : USCIS released a press note that H1B 2020 regular cap was filled. Read H1B visa 2020 Regular Cap Filled News. Check out  Short Video on H1B 2020 Regular Cap Quota reached.
  • April 1st, 2019Official ) : USCIS Launched H1B Employer Data Hub as part of transparency effort to understand H1B employer’s Information on Approvals and Denials. You can check out How to use H1B Employer Data Hub,
  • March 19th, 2019 ( Official ) : USCIS did a press release indicating the start of H1B season from April 1st, and gave out details on Premium Processing that it will be open only for applications filed with COS. Check out all details at H1B 2020 Starts April 1st, Premium Processing Info
  • January 2019 ( Official ) : USCIS Publishes Final Rule on H1B Registration on Jan 31, 2019 and gave guidance for FY 2020 season.
  • December 2018 ( Official ) : USCIS Publishes a proposed rule in Federal Register to introduce the concept of electronic pre-registrations before filing the actual full H1B petition. Currently, it is in process seeking public comments until Jan 2, 2019. Check out details at H1B Pre-Registration New Proposed Rule – Lottery, Process, Analysis.
  • For  FY 2020 season there is an increase in Premium processing fee. We do not even know, if USCIS will have premium processing fee for FY 2020 as they have suspended until Feb 2019 for petitions filed in April 2018 under FY 2019 quota. But, something to be aware of.

You can bookmark this page and check this page for updates on H1B FY 2020 season. Also, you can read H1B 2020 Cap Count Updates Page for up to date tracking of this year’s news and other info.
Do you have any questions on next H1B 2020 season ? Join us on WhatsApp H1B 2020 Group, Telegram, Facebook , Slack H1B 2020 and Community Forum to discuss, ask, share.

   

Other Articles

2,273 Comments

  1. Is it possible that company can file H1b without LCA? I am asking this because my company is saying that they have filed my H1b but there is no LCA on

    “https://icert.doleta.gov/index.cfm?event=ehLCJRExternal.dspLCRLanding”

    for my company for current year.

    Reply
    • Hi everyone,

      I am currently on OPT ending in May 2020, this was my second attempt of H1B lottery, but I haven’t heard anything as of now. I am planning to apply for H4 visa and eventually H4 EAD. Since cap gap is only for F1 students, if my company files for H1B again while I’m in H4 (EAD), and it gets approved. In that case I am not eligible for CaP GAp correct, so does that mean I go out of status between June to September 2020?

      Thank you in advance. I highly appreciate your advice/ opinions.

      Reply
  2. One possible prediction:
    If there were 100K masters, they would have announced CAP filled without any mention of regular/master as there will be enough masters for masters lottery too assuming 70K masters were selected in regular lottery.

    So, AD petition count may be around 80K and regular may be 80K(have increased this to consider H4). Let’s consider 7K for Singapore/Chile too.

    Then regular lottery is
    1. Select 70K (this number excludes 7K)
    2. AD = (80K/160K) * 70K = 35K
    3. Non-AD = (80K/160K) * 70K = 35K

    So Non-AD is 35K/80K = 43%.

    For AD lottery, there will be 25K selections.
    AD = 35K + 25K = 60K. So 60K/80K = 75%

    So AD is 75%

    Reply
  3. Mr RT , first under your own calculation then understand USCIS.
    90000 – 70000 = 20000 not 80000 , even if thats a typo , anything beyond 65K will end in lottery as the lottery happens for everybody first, which includes both regular and Masters , no matter how they r differentiated

    Reply
    • Thank you, MR. Raj for helping to “Under” my own calculation.
      And it was a typo for sure.

      I meant to say if they received a 90k application and out of that 70 k were regular, then remained 20k aren’t enough to make a draw?

      And another question was, how they decide enough application number for any cap? To make a draw, they need more than 65k. So what would be the saturation point?

      Reply
      • 1. 90K looks unrealistic. We should expect upwards 140K. (may be 160K due to H4 EAD)
        2. We should consider ~7K for Singapore/Chile.
        3. So general lottery cap is 58K (excluding 7K)
        4. Within the first 5 days, if they received more than 70K petitions(AD and bachelors combined), they have reached the CAP for regular and will conduct regular lottery to pick 70K(out of 140K/160K).

        One possible prediction:
        If there were 100K masters, they would have announced CAP filled without any mention of regular/master as there will be enough masters for masters lottery too assuming 70K masters were selected in regular lottery.

        So, AD petition count may be around 80K and regular may be 80K(have increased this to consider H4). Let’s consider 7K for Singapore/Chile too.

        Then regular lottery is
        1. Select 70K (this number excludes 7K)
        2. AD = (80K/160K) * 70K = 35K
        3. Non-AD = (80K/160K) * 70K = 35K

        So regular is 35K/80K = 43%.

        For AD lottery, there will be 25K selections.
        AD = 35K + 25K = 60K. So 60K/80K = 75%

        So AD is 75%

        Reply
  4. I dont understand USCIS’ statistics. How they figured out enough application for Regular cap?
    As they have a 65k limit, didnt they receive master and regular applications together? If yes, then how they dont have enough application for Masters?
    And how many applications could they have for regular?

    For instance, in 5 days, they received 90000 applications. From that, 70000 were masters’. So remaining 80000 were enough to make a lottery. Makes sense?

    I am giving these numbers according to previous year’ data. Because in 5 days, they got enough regular application. To make a draw, they need more than 65k applications.

    Still, cant understand their calculation over here.

    @Admin, can you describe what could be the case here?

    Reply
  5. Exactly, even if USCIS has received only 66000 regular petitions , thats still exceeds the count and they cant tell if that 66000 has enough masters petitions for the 20000 limit without conducting the lottery for regular first. Expecting USCIS’s default message by Apr 10 or 11 stating that it completed its ridiculous random sel3ction process

    Reply
  6. One possibility is, since regular cap lottery will be conducted first, there is no need to differentiate between bachelors and masters petitions. After conducting the regular cap lottery, they might differentiate masters from the unselected list to conduct the masters lottery. It reduces their initial workload by 65K petitions.

    Reply
  7. @Admin Kumar, is the web page visit statistics on this page significantly lower than that of last years?
    if so, how much % lower? I am trying to guess the number of petitions this year based on that

    Reply
    • Dudes, the webpage visit stats directly proportional to people’s interests in h1b.. only applicants frequent to this page and shows interest..

      so the stats is directly related to the number of applicants..

      Reply
      • No. of H1B petetions directly related to activity on this website?? WHATTTTTT??? How did you guys even complete your degree? or you guys must have faked it. OHHH MANNNN. He is asking for how much % lower. HOLYYY ****

        Reply
        • I didn’t say directly related (it’s called directly proportional FYI); I said correlated, and I suggest you don’t act like a pretentious misologist when you’re ignorant about something. This is literally how predictive analytics work; you aggregate data, analyze it, build a model ,etc. If you combine analytical data from this website, google trends, news articles, and few other sources, it might be possible to predict a range for the number of petitions this year. The Dunning-Kruger effect is real with some international students!

          Reply
          • Redbus2us is mostly used by a small subset of Indians who applied for H1B. You are using your so called analytics to determine number of applications?????????? It is like predicting Modi will again win the Prime Minister Election by using data from 20 constituencies. And WTF you gonna do predicting number of applications. Use this website to understand what to do next. You are not going to achieve anything predicting. It’s lottery based *******

          • First, jokes on you am not from India(Didn’t get the analogy you’re making as well btw). Second, data proved you wrong so …
            https://forum.redbus2us.com/t/website-traffic-to-h1b-2020-lottery-correlation/75744

    • @Kratos, took me long slightly longer to respond. You are right, the stats are pretty similar and we can see that in the Lottery Numbers, See the stats of RedBus2US Website vs Count

      For all others, who are taking it as silly…frankly, it can be an influencing factor, it is probably not a definite one, but indicates the interest from people filing for H1B..You can check the thread link above to see the stats, they are slightly higher this year, so are the real H1B 2020 numbers…You can discuss more on the thread in the forum on the correlation topic 🙂

      Reply
      • @eg LOLLLLLLLL! Congrats man… on predicting number of applications based on a very very small subset of total H1B petetions. And why the administrator didn’t say any numbers on the chart. Do you really b’live the chart??? First of all, do you call that a chart???? Even a 10 year old can create a better chart to gain upper hand

        Reply
        • I have not created anything, it is pulled straight from Google Analytics…All we need to know is comparison from last year, that what they are, look closely !

          Reply
  8. Is anyone tracking updates from the SEVP portal for changes on the dates? I am currently on STEM OPT with 1 month left

    Reply
  9. Why is it so quiet around here this year? Crazy given how active things were last year.

    Last year some people made some predictions based on LCA data. Does anyone know where we can retrieve that data for this year to make a similar estimation?

    Reply
    • Yes, this year is surprisingly silent here. Is there any other forum where people are discussing?

      One thing we figured our from last year was LCA data could not be relied as companies have different number of positions per LCA. Some LCA’s have 1 position and some have 10 or more. Unless someone parses the complete LCA->positions, it would not be an inaccurate prediction.

      Given that, my prediction is around 50K regular and 70K AD petitions. This is very conservative but hoping its true. More than that let’s hope the deserving candidates are selected.

      Reply
      • I can’t imagine a scenario were petitions are so low. I imagine AD will be up from last year to ~100k and regular will be around 70K.

        LCA has historically seemed like a decent proxy for application trends, although far from perfect.

        Year —-># employees (one to one LCAs)—–> # employees ( non 1-1)—-> Total LCAs—-Applicants
        2014—-> 180000 ————————-> 234,592 ——————–> 414,542——–> 124 K
        2015—-> 217,638————————-> 314,989 ——————–> 532,627——–> 172K
        2016—-> 284,500————————-> 368,604——————–> 653,104——–> 233K
        2017—-> 299,341————————-> 360,604——————–> 659,945——–> 236K
        2018—-> 291,092————————->261,092——————–> 552,184——–> 199K
        2019—-> 196529————————-> 211,710——————–> 408,239——–> 190K

        Reply
    • I don’t think its surprising. The percentage of H1B denials especially with applications from Indian consultancies has increased dramatically. Now, its not just about getting selected in the lottery but getting the application approved. Most employers are now unsure even with all the documentation. If you check the employer data hub for last years data on cap cases, you will notice most companies had a denial rate of about 80-90%

      Reply
  10. Hypothetical scenario:
    1. 40K regular petition received
    2. 70K masters petition received

    If 55K masters( +25K regular = 80K selected to offset denials) are selected in first lottery itself, what will USCIS do to fill the masters cap quota?

    Reply
      • If USCIS has received 40K regular and 70K AD petitions, then regular CAP is met. What happens if 55K or more ADs get selected in the first lottery itself(aka regular lottery as per the latest change in lottery order). It may be improbable but not impossible.
        Then there are only 15K AD petitions available for masters quota. Will USCIS wait for more days/weeks in FIFO mode to receive enough AD petitions to honor the masters quota(20K)?

        Reply
  11. USCIS Reaches FY 2020 H-1B Regular Cap: https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-reaches-fy-2020-h-1b-regular-cap

    Interesting notes:
    USCIS has received a sufficient number of petitions projected as needed to reach the congressionally-mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap for fiscal year 2020. USCIS will next determine if we have received a sufficient number of petitions to meet the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap.

    Key points
    1. Heading is “regular” cap
    2. reached 65K for regular
    3. will next determine if we have received sufficient numbers for masters

    Reply
    • I could not find any announcement from USCIS. In the past few years, cap reached announcement was on Friday morning/afternoon. This year, its calm and silent here. All the best to all deserving candidates.
      – 3rd timer

      Reply
  12. Hi Kumar,

    What is the chance of selecting in lottery who are filling H1B 2020 outside USA?. Pls let me know.

    Regards
    padmaja

    Reply
  13. Kumar,
    What is your prediction on the count of petitions this year? Will there be a lottery? I rarely see people talk about H1s this year.

    Reply
    • Major activity last year was from folks who apply from consultancies, perhaps? May be some have held back this time maybe not.
      But there will still be considerable amount of masters students and h4 applicants. So, sure there will be lottery.

      Reply
      • hello Kumar,

        i need to verify a corner case scenario with h1b , as you are aware that last year’s lottery adjudication is still going on and i can see on forums that we have a lot of folks who still havent received the results of last years lottery after getting picked.

        Are these folks eligible to apply for this years lottery as well. I am just thinking this could be mean an additional 10-12k folks applying again?

        Looking forward to the thoughts from the team team here.

        Reply
    • I estimate it at 196,000 close to last year if H4 EAD are going to file H1B..
      otherwise 165,000 around..
      The Max could be 2,30,000
      The min could be 169,000 as employers lack interest in H1B

      20,000 rejections last year
      80,000 did not pick up last year
      At least 30,000 petitions from abroad
      At least 20,000 petitions from H4 EAD (currently working)
      New F1 students filing H1B – 80,000 max approx
      (Calculated on percentage drop from 2015 to 2017..
      Not all will file as some decide to stay or just opted for OPT)

      I estimate duplicate filings will be very few hundreds.

      Reply
  14. My spouse H1B for FY2019 is denied and went to motion to appeal.The consultancy said they submitted the response for MTA on November 30.We are still waiting for the update on that. Any one faced similar issue, is there any hope of getting approval when case went to MTA.

    Reply
  15. This is really happening. It is going to get even worse now. They basically don’t want to see any applications filed from an Indian based consultancy firm.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/wap.business-standard.com/article-amp/international/thousands-of-indian-techies-return-home-as-us-rejects-visa-extensions-119032200327_1.html

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com/amp/news/corporate/a-dream-thats-cut-short/68514988

    Reply
    • Well, just a caution, this data is not new and was released by USCIS sometime ago, it is just exaggerated for news coverage…

      Reply
  16. Hi, My H1 B visa is in documents submission stage so if I will submit docs today, will I able to send file for lottery in Apr 2019?

    Reply
    • Yes, you should be fine. Don’t worry your attorney will take care of it. Just follow up and see if they can share the Fedex or UPS Tracking info for your H1B package, you can track the package online.

      Reply
  17. My Employer is Filing H1b for the FY2020 and my current Client gave me a letter that Project last through September 2019 with further extensions as necessary.
    My Prime vendor gave a letter stating project is expected to continue with multiple extensions until next June 2022 client needs beneficiary’s services and there is no end date decided yet.
    Will this cause any problems?
    What should I do in this scenario?
    Can I file second H1B petetion with In-house project from a different employer?

    Reply
  18. Kumar

    I need a suggestion. I graduated in December and have been working Full Time since December . My comapny is doing my H1b and asking e weather I need COS or COnsular Processing. I am not planning to go out of US anyways since my whole family is here. What do you recommend me to go with?

    Reply
    • Buttera,
      If you do not intend to go out of US, then you can file it as COS. The only catch is, if you file as COS, you should not travel outside of the country, when your H1B is in process…if you travel when H1B is pending, your COS will be abandoned. Also, if you plan to work from October 1st without going outside of US, then you should file as COS. I would say, you go with COS, if you do not have any plans or need to go outside of US.

      Reply
  19. Hi ,

    Can any one suggest how to track whether my employer filed H1 for me or not. I’ve already paid amount to consultancy and I’m on H4 status(no job), currently staying in US. Please give me some ideas what questions I can ask my employer. I hope will receive some responses here.

    Thanks,
    Vedanshi

    Reply
  20. Hello All,

    I need a suggestion. I graduated in December and have been working Full Time since December . My comapny is doing my H1b and asking e weather I need COS or COnsular Processing. I am not planning to go out of US anyways since my whole family is here. What do you recommend me to go with?

    Reply
  21. My Employer is Filing H1b for the FY2020 and my current Client gave me a letter that Project last through September 2019 with further extensions as necessary.
    My Prime vendor gave a letter stating project is expected to continue with multiple extensions until next June 2022 client needs beneficiary’s services and there is no end date decided yet.
    Will this cause any problems?
    What should I do in this scenario?

    Reply
  22. Does Indian IT companies plan to apply for H1 at the same level again as previous years?? My company is so quiet in this, just checking in to see what is happening in other big companies this year.. Any idea guys?

    Reply
  23. Hi my visa was approved on aug 2017 I will be attending stamping on April 2019 my validity is up to 2020 aug due to personal reasons I was unable to go for stamping . If I go now will it cause problem ?

    Reply
    • No, it will not as long as you still have your H1B job available in US and all the documents related to your job in US such as client letters, supporting documents.

      Reply
  24. Hi guys,

    I’m going back to my hometown, Vietnam in the next 2 weeks and will do visa renewal, my H1B visa is valid until August 2020. I’m eligible for the Visa Interview Waiver, and just need to mail all documents to the US Consulate in Vietnam. Below is a list of required documents for H1B visa:

    -Passport: Your passport must have at least two blank pages for the visa and at least six months validity.
    – Old passport with most recent U.S. visa (if not in currently valid passport),
    – DS-160 confirmation page with a barcode, completed and submitted online.
    – One 5cm x 5cm photo taken on a white background, without glasses, with your ears visible, within the last six months.
    – Interview Waiver Confirmation Page.
    – For petition-based visa applicants only:
    -Original or copy of I-797

    Seems like it doesn’t require for supporting documents, such as Paycheck, Employment verification,…etc. Should I still include that?

    Last but not least, my company has moved to a new location (still in the same area), my lawyer has filled the LCA amendment with the new address with the US Labor Department. However, I realized that the company’s address in the California Secretary of State has not yet updated. My company said by law, they have until April this year to update it and they are planning to do it soon. So, my concern is whether or not I should include the LCA amendment when I submit my H1B renewal documents. My company said I should go with the new address because that the one they used for legal and in my paycheck. Will that creates any confusion for the US Consolute when they review my visa?

    Sorry for the long message. Any advice or guidance for my case will be truly appreciated!!!

    Reply
  25. Hi admin

    My company is nominating my name..I’m having BcA+8 yr of experience in IT.

    Do I need to submit all the previous company detailed roles and responsibilities along with reliving and experience letter ? Or experience letter is enough

    I need to know since I have 15 yrs of formal education, I can use experience to add 1 yr education. So, do I need to show detailed responsibilities ?

    Reply
  26. Hi,

    I wonder any final decision release yet? For people who would like to apply H1B in year 2019. Do we need to prepare whole documents at first? Or we could just apply pre-registration and wait to see if we hit jack pot then submit the rest support documents? Thank you.

    Best,

    Reply
  27. Hi,
    Can I use my current passport for H1B petition(1 April 2019) if passport is in renewal stage? Can I use new passport no while doing visa stamping if selected in lottery.

    Reply
  28. Hi,

    My H1B petition was filed in 2009. It got expired in 2012, but I never travelled to US.
    Can I use that petition under cap exempt quota.

    Kindly advice
    Madhav

    Reply
  29. Hi Kumar,

    I have H1B that was applied in 2012 and got stamped in 2013. But due to sone personal reasons, i couldn’t travel. So until now i didnot use my H1. And it was revoked by my previous employer. Can that be used to file a new H1 under cap-exempt. Please throw your views on my case.

    Reply
  30. Hello,
    I was in the USA for 6 years under H1B visa from 17th April 2012 to 28 March 2018. During that time I have completed my online BS in IT- Security and MS in Cybersecurity from Nonprofit, regionally accredited private university. My question is am I eligible for 20,000 Masters Quota for 2020.
    My current company is not ready to file H1B for this year. Do you have any consultancy who can sponsor me for 2020.

    Reply
  31. Guys ,
    I have my H1 approved from company A not stamped yet..I got good offer from company B and doing the transfer process. If company A calls for stamping can I go while the transfer with company B is in progress ? Will it cause any problem ?

    Reply
    • There is nothing called a transfer, it is essentially a new petition filed by Company B using the receipt number from Company A, just for the sake for cap exempt. It should not create any problem.

      Reply
  32. Hello
    I am very new in this field. So lets say I applied for some jobs this year and lets say I got an acceptance and they filled petition for me in april 2019. Am I FY 2020 candidate than? If so that means i need an employer who will accept me this year and expect me in 2020?

    Reply
  33. Hi

    I would like to know whether MCA, university of Madras files under master cap or regular cap. Does the petition have higher chances picking up in lottery for master cap?

    Reply
  34. Hi,

    I am currently on L1 expiring 31 Aug 2019. My employer is willing to file H1 next year(2019). I want to know what will happen, let’s say my application is picked up in lottery but I can only work from Oct 2019 on H1.
    What will happen from 31 Aug to 1 Oct (or whenever my petition gets approved).

    Can L1 extension be also filed at the same time so that I can stay post 31 Aug?

    Reply
    • You will have to leave country and come back around October 1st .
      Yes, they can do that, but talk to your employer/ attorney on how best to handle it. If your H1B is applied as COS, then your H1B will kick in automatically on October 1st.

      Reply
  35. Hi Team,
    I have lived in US for 6 years on H1 B. I have come back to India due to family issue. Now, I am not able to go through lottery 3 times in the row.
    Please let me know if my L1 B blanket will get approved looking at my below profile.
    Total Yrs of experience = 13
    Total yrs in current company = 4
    Specialized in AWS, Artificial Intelligence and responsive UI design.
    US salary if Visa approved will be 90K per annum.

    Reply
    • We will post a Lottery prediction analysis close to the filing date in 2019. It is too early to speculate as many things can change in the next 6 to 8 months.

      Reply
  36. I Would like to know when Cognizant starts Nomination for the FY2020 ? any guess how many # of nominations per project or account CTS usually does ?

    Reply

Leave a Comment