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USCIS received 124,000 H1B Visa 2014 Petitions – Official Lottery Update Results

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As predicted by us earlier on USCIS official news update date, USCIS did an official press release today disclosing the details of overall petitions received and lottery process followed, including results. Below is a brief summary of the H1B Visa 2014 news release.

USCIS Official News : Summary of H1B Visa 2014 Lottery Results press release

  • Big News: For the first time in USCIS history since 2008, H1B Visas 2014 cap reached within the first week of filings, i.e, first week of April.  You can check out US Economy and H1B Visa Lottery
  • Total H1B Petitions received :  USCIS received a total of 124,000 H1B Visa petitions for fiscal year 2014.
  • Lottery Information : USCIS conducted a random computer generated random selection process, also called as lottery, on April 7th to select the petitions needed to meet the regular cap of 65,000 and masters cap of 20,000
  • Lottery Process followed: As described in our detail H1B Visa Lottery process, USCIS followed the same thing.  First USCIS conducted lottery process for Masters quota petitions and then the petitions not selected in masters lottery were merged with regular quota pool and random selection process was conducted for remaining pool to select 65,000 petitions.
  • Petitions Not Selected in Lottery  : If your petition was not selected in lottery, USCIS will reject and return the petition along with the filing fee, except for duplicate petitions.
  • Premium Processing for H1B Visa 2014 : To facilitate the data entry process and meet the timelines, USCIS will begin premium processing for H1B Visa 2014 from April 15th.
  • Non-Cap Subject Petitions Accepted :  USCIS will continue to accept non-cap subject petitions i.e, that have already been counted towards to the cap, including petitions filed under below category
    • H1B Visa stay extensions
    • Employee terms changes for H1B visa worker
    • H1B petitions filed for Change of employers
    • H1B petitions filed for concurrent working for more than one employer

Did I miss anything ?

Do you have any questions ? What are your thoughts ?

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Author
Satheesh Kumar Ilu
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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11,589 Comments

  1. Has anyone tried calling the 800 uscis no to check if their name is in system. They can normaly search by name n employer.
    I know u must be the petitioner or attorney…but I don’t think the cu.stomer care person will care.

  2. I saw comments about regular processing applications getting notices. They all looked like advanced degree though.is that correct? Are they sending notices for advanced degree holders first- among regular processing applications?

  3. Hello Guy ,

    Thanks for all support you have shown here , I just gt a call my attroney that cheque was cashed today . I am AD/RP/VSC . Attroney office at Connecticut and My location is PA. Thanks again for all support and wishing you all AD people that you will all make it this time wait for little more time ….

  4. No mail up until now, hopefully an USPS car will stop by soon and put a thin envelope sent from Vermont in to my employer mailbox…

    (AD/RP/VSC)

          • Thanks for replying Jing… My AD/RP/VSC application reached the USCIS on April 5th… I am hypothesizing the theory that USCIS is sending receipts in the order they were received 🙂

      • Guys,

        Its ADV DEG./PP/VSC.

        He has been told by USCIS that there is no record of mine.
        It means that there are not aware that the data has not been entered or not picked.
        If the data is entered, you should get a receipt.

        If you are not picked, there should be no data entry.

        Everything is linked. I believe that mine is not picked. anyways, can’t do anything now.

        Planning to go back instead of staying here on pure luck. No use of higher degree and more passionate about profession.

        Good luck! Ofcorse no luck .

  5. Any1 regular quota/ PP/ californa . left.. who is still waiting for receipt… or I am the only one here…losing hope now.

  9. Anyone gets a reply from Microsoft about what would they do if we are not picked? Will they rescind the offer?

    • www.quora.com/Microsoft/I-am-placed-in-Microsoft-US-and-now-US-is-denying-to-provide-me-H1B-visa-What-will-MS-do-in-these-cases

  10. i have just checked with my employer about my H1b petition.
    He says yet there was no information from attorney, and said other employers also haven’t recieved application reciept.

    My employer attorney has filed from california center, Did anyone recieved application reciept.
    Generally how many days it takes to recieve the info about petition.

  11. Message from my employer

    H1-B receipts (if approved and certified by the USCIS) will be issued no earlier than April 20, 2013.

  13. Any one got

    Regular Cap / Regular Processing ??????

    Stressing ! Freaking !

    I called employer no news yet !!!

  14. Guys
    My friend got his H1b receipt yesterday.
    He is under AD/PP quota…

    So hang on there .. its taking time and dont make any assumptions as such ..!!
    Still way to go..

    M myself in AD/Reg/CSC

    I am sure We all AD peepz are going to make it .. some early some late…!!

    • Thanks for your post…..This encourages me, i am in AD/PP/CSC waiting since the beginning like a kid……..huh…..nywys hoping for the best…….Gud luck guys….!!!

  15. YOU CANNOT BE SURE, UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THE ACTUAL REJECTION NOTICE/PACKAGE BACK. — I saw someone posted this few while ago…I too agree with this. But still is this practical to think that USCIS is unable to come up with my(Regular/PP/VSC – Vermont is working fast) receipt number even after 11 days(considering Saturday & Sunday working) after lottery was done on 7th.

    • Logistically no. We cant be sure. After all not everyone will be selected, and I am keeping myself away from expectations.

      But even then don’t lose hope. The sheer number of these is tremendous and not an easy task for them to go through considering all the bureaucratic procedures they need to do. Regular quota lots have just started to hear their results from Monday, last week main focus was on PremiumP/AD. Yes Vermont Center is working fast but still a huge number considering they also have to run procedures on the premiums they selected since Monday onwards. I say wait till you get a package back. No point wondering the outcome since lottery has already been done.

  17. i havent recieved my application reciept .how long it may take to recieve.
    What this means AD/RP/CSC ?
    As everyone is keeping this status….

    • it means :

      AD – masters quota
      RP – regular processing
      CSC – california center

      did you apply in regular processing?

    • I am AD/RP/VSC

      When did your application reach the USCIS? The checks havent been cashed nor received the letter..Appication reached on April 5..How about you?

      May be they are processing applications in the order they were received…No idea…

    • advanced degree AD
      regular processing RP
      Cali Service Center CSC

      and still waiting to hear the good news..

      God; you know the issue.. thanks..

    • this is what I saw…

      On April 17, 2013, the 15-day Premium Processing clock stopped on your I129, PETITION FOR A NONIMMIGRANT WORKER. A notice was sent on this date explaining the specific reason for stopping the premium processing of your case. This notice will contain detailed information on further action required by you. Your premium processing receipt notice contains contact information for direct inquiries on your case.

  20. Hello All,

    I am currently in AD/Reg/CSC

    I am on my 1st Opt tenure and its ending on 30th June.

    Unfortunately if i dont make it through the lottery or my h1b gets rejected … Can i apply for OPT Extension (17 months ) in May end or June 1st week considering my opt is expiring on 30th June.

    Please Reply

    • u can apply for extn no worries buddy..i am already denied OPT then applied for H1…now i didnt get any receipt…so u should be fine…u still have time and hope

      • Not trying to pry, but do you mind sharing why they would deny your OPT? Never heard of anyone who had that happen to them.

        • My OPT endorsed I-20 reached them after 31 days…it was all DSO mistake and I am suffering now !! I filed for an appeal but no hope on that …so all hopes on this H1 receipt otherwise I have started packing my bag ….

    • You should be good as long as your request for OPT extension reaches the USCIS before the current one expires.

    • it is always better to apply before 2 month period. you should go ahead and apply now. it does not cost you much and you will be safe even if your h1b not selected.

    • I bet you can and I also assume you come under STEM.

      MBAs and some other programs do not come under STEM and are not eligible for the 17-month extension.

      Make sure the OPT extension request is sent in real quick!

    • Wanted to let you know that you need to apply atleast 60 days before your opt expiry date for your opt extension .. Don’t wait till the end..

  21. For people who got their receipts for Regular processing, can someone share when their application reached USCIS?

    Me- AD/RP/VSC
    Attorney & Employer both in NYC
    Application reached USCIS Vermont on April 5th

    Last checked – no checks cashed and no letter to attorney / employer.

    Just curious if USCIS is processing applications in the order they were received. Or is it just random.

      • wow! On the very first possible day, you got the good news!

        I am in the same boat.. I hope the same for me and everyone following this page!

        Congratz!

          • Checked with the employer right now

            No checks cashed yet, neither receipt received yet… Not heard back from the lawyer as well…

            My application reached on April 5th AD/RP/EAC as well..

  22. I hate being left out like this. What is next……… for me? If that immigration bill passes will i get the work permit? if so, then i don’t need this H1B crap. I will wait until that passes and get the work permit. which will not have any issues while you go for stamping or anything. We don’t even have to carry the passport.

  23. After change from Acceptance stage to Initial Review with PP time stop and after like 4 hour it changed to decision and got e-mail from HR that I got approval.
    Good luck to yall.

  24. After reading amendment in high skilled H1-B visas for advanced degree holders of US institution, this bill is repealing previous provision of 20000 advanced degree cap exempt visas that was given to advanced degree holders of STEM field plus non-STEM field such as Business, Finance, Accounting, Economics, and social sciences. Now they are proposing to increase cap exempt for advanced degree holders to 25000 visas but not granting cap exempt to other degrees that was getting earlier when the cap exempt was 20,000. What a joke! US would rather welcome illegals and give them citizenships but not for Masters degree holders of non-STEM field. This is how America will stay competitive in the world.

    It is a clear message to foreign students, if you want degree in non-STEM field, do not come here.

  25. Regular Cap / Regular Processing / California Service Center….. No news yet 🙁
    Anyone recieve anything under my same category?

    • any AD/ PP guys left? really hope all of you get it.

      I got my receipt (AD/PP/VSC) last wednesday and my status is still acceptance, but the ones that were generated yesterday are at intial review or even decision. Why is mine stuck at Acceptance? any insights anyone?

  26. Anyone in this forum who applied from digitalX? Any update guys? I am in regular processing and still waiting……

    RP

  27. Did anyone processing regular H1B got receipt?? Or any planned end date for processing of this receipt ….. I mean what is the expected end date…..:(

  29. Recipet recieved ( do not have more details than what is listed below), just providing an update

    AD/RP/VSC

  30. My wife received I797 y’day by mail at home address for H4. I have not heard anything about my H1B receipt yet. Attorney did not receive anything yet.
    Am i through with the lottery ?

  32. AD/RP has started receiving the Receipts according to the conversations below so does that mean AD/PP or Regular/PP are done ?
    Regular/PP/CSC and waiting 🙁

  33. Hold on to your faith people. No one can take away your destiny. You did what was supposed to be done by applying for H1B, so your part is done. There are few things in life that are not in your control so leave it to almighty. Rest assured he has a plan for each on of us (myself included)

  34. OK, let me get this straight. The receipts that people keep getting are just proofs that the USCIS did receive the petitions and that these petitions were placed in the lottery. Therefore, the receipts, by no means, guarantee your H-1B approvals.

    Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

    • I think your statement is questionable. Receipt means it’s PICKed in lottery. Definitely no guarantee it’s approved YET.

    • Yes!
      Getting receipt is just crossing one hurdle of lottery.
      Even after getting receipt no (i.e. selected through lottery) you need go through 3 more hurdles to get in to states…
      1. Getting approval on H1b Petition, an approval to apply for H1 visa
      2. Getting H1 visa, an approval to come on port of states which is not a permission to enter in USA
      3. Getting approval by Immigration dept on arrival to get in to USA…

      but generally, if your case is genuine & if you provide all necessary documents, chances of getting negative results are very low….

      I hope this clarifies your doubt…

      • That’s for all who are living abroad now. For those who are working here already. There are only 2 hurdles in this process.

      • For master. Receipt for being selected in the lottery……
        My attorney did say my application is eligible for premium processing. She asked me whether I want to do that… also have to pay another 1225 dollars filing fee for premium processing…..

        • For people who got their receipts for Regular processing, can someone share when their application reached USCIS?

          Me- AD/RP/VSC
          Attorney & Employer both in NYC
          Application reached USCIS Vermont on April 5th

          Last checked – no checks cashed and no letter to attorney / employer.

          Just curious if USCIS is processing applications in the order they were received. Or is it just random.

  39. So far, there’s no rejected package received. That’s really a good news which means all are “potentially” alive. So, be patient and hope for the best.

  40. Ad/Regular/CSC ….how many waiting …any opinions on when to expect receipt or loose hope …any one receiving the returned H1 packet ??

    • Receipt number will be emailed/mailed to your attorney/employer *if* your application has been selected in the lottery. Please contact your attorney/employer for this.

    • WASHINGTON: The sweeping US immigration bill, likely to be unveiled today, may propose a substantial increase in the much sought after H-1B visa, but the conditions imposed therein, if approved by the Congress, would prove to be a death knell for Indian-American companies.

      The bill moved after months of closed-door meetings by a group of eight bipartisan lawmakers, known as the Gang of Eight, aimed at striking a balance between enforcement provisions sought by Republicans as well as Democrats, including making citizenship widely accessible to those illegally in America.

      Given that India has a large pool of such IT professionals, analysts say any increase in the H-1B visas finally end up benefiting the Indian IT professionals, but unlike in the present scenario when they are hired mostly by Indian companies, it would benefit the US companies the most and prove to be a big disadvantage to companies like TCS, Wipro and Infosys.

      According to Politico, the eight senators would increase the current number of H-1B visas from 65,000 to 110,000, which could be increased to 180,000 visas based on demand for high-skilled jobs.

      Companies that get 30 per cent or more of their workforce from H-1B visa holders would have to pay new fees.

      “Starting in fiscal 2014, companies with more than 75 per cent of their workforce made up of H-1B visa holders will be banned from bringing in any additional workers. In 2015, that number goes to 65 per cent, and to 50 per cent in 2016,” Politico reported.

      Notably, the US India Business Council (USIBC) in a letter to the Senators had opposed such a provision.

      The eight Senators are Michael Bennet, Richard Durbin, Jeff Flake, Lindsey Graham, John McCain, Robert Menendez, Marco Rubio and Chuck Schumer.

      “Our greatest concern centres on proposals that would preclude access to visas or impose unworkable visa-related restrictions and fees on a company’s ability to sponsor H-1B and L-1 visas based upon their business model or the composition of its local workforce,” USIBC President Ron Somers wrote in a letter to the group of eight lawmakers.

      “We specifically ask that you not include any provisions that would discriminate against a subset of companies based upon a “50:50″ model (those applicants who have 50 or more workers and 50 per cent of those workers are on H-1B and L visas) or some other triggering ratio,” Somers said in the letter.

      However, it seems, the gang of Eight has ignored the concerns being raised by the USIBC and Indian companies.

      “Targeting Indian firms operating in the United States with restrictions or fees is antithetical to the spirit of the US-India Strategic Partnership, and could excite protectionist forces in India that would attempt to thwart US-India trade and economic cooperation – just as both countries are attempting to achieve just the opposite,” Somers said.

      “The plan calls for a sizable increase in high-skilled visas, fees for employers that hire a large number foreign workers, and it institutes a ban on those companies applying for additional H-1B visas in the future,” Politico said.

      The report is expected to be made public today, but the Senators have postponed its public roll out in view of the bomb blasts in Boston.

      The legislation, which undergo its first public vetting on Friday at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, would recommend a pathway to citizenship for some 11 million undocumented immigrants to become permanent legal residents a decade after they register with the government.

      Immigrants would pay a USD 2,000 fine, pass a background check, have a job and wait 10 years before applying for a green card.

      Three years after that, they could apply to become US citizens.

      The bill among other things also proposes a new non-seasonal programme for people like janitors and construction workers begins with 20,000 visas in its first year and rises to 75,000 in its fourth.

      Workers would eventually be able to apply for permanent legal status.

      It also proposes for 112,000 farm workers to come to the US in the first year of operation.

      An unlimited number of green cards for people with “extraordinary ability” in areas like art, science, business and athletics is being proposed while foreigners who graduate from American universities with advanced degrees in science, math, technology and engineering would be eligible for green cards, The Wall Street Journal reported.

      The bill also proposes a merit-based system for immigration.

      Under this immigrants can apply for visas and they will be given a score based on their education level, employment and other considerations.

      “People with the most points will earn the visas. Between 120,000 and 250,000 visas could be available each year under this program, which is designed to funnel talented immigrants to the US. It would launch five years after the bill is enacted and would provide a path to citizenship for immigrants,” the WSJ reported.

  45. Don’t worry about anything…. Whatever it is everything is for our Good ones…

    I’m also waiting my Status, but not losing my hopes…

    Most of the TierB companies haven’t hear back anything… We are still waiting for the status…

    Its obvious that our employer is slow in Process level…

    Be patient and calm down…

    Everyday i’m praying for all of us and to get some miracle in count and get everyone in…

    All the best for the folks waiting for the status… Congrates those who had really got the status…

    Cheers and have a Blesseth day to all 🙂

  47. EVERYONE. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BELOW:

    THIS IS FOR EVERYONE WHO IS STILL WAITING TO HEAR NEWS FROM THEIR ATTORNEYS/EMPLOYERS.

    I am a Regular Quota/Premium Processing/VSC applicant. I received notice from my lawyer with the receipt number and approval TODAY.

    I have been following this blog/forum from day 1. I’ve seen ALL SORTS of speculative scenarios, reasonable assumptions, unreasonable assumptions, idiots who are trying to mess up with people’s stress by posting lies, idiots in general who don’t know what the f*ck they’re saying, and people who are just patient and supportive and are praying.

    Over the past 2 weeks I had LOST MY SLEEP AND MY LIFE. Seriously. I am one of the applicants who would probably need to leave the US if this didn’t work out. Not some dude who is applying to COME to the US and already has a job somewhere else. And the things I’ve been reading here made the situation even more stressful.

    PLEASE KNOW THIS:

    ****NOTHING, AND I MEAN N-O-T-H-I-N-G IS OVER UNTIL YOUR LAWYER RECEIVES BACK THE *ACTUAL* REJECTION NOTICE/PACKAGE.
    PUT THIS IN DEEP DOWN IN YOUR MIND.********

    STOP making assumptions about processing times and premium vs. non-premium. I was premium and I am a PERFECT example of a delay (=after April 15th)

    STOP TRYING TO SPECULATE WHAT’S GOING ON BY ENTERING RANDOM RECEIPT NUMBERS IN THE STATUS WEBSITE AND MAKING ASSUMPTIONS. Are you serious????? Do you even KNOW how few people, compared to the ENTIRE pool of applicants, are posting here? How can you make assumptions by entering increments from the receipt numbers some random people are posting here? How can you know WITH CERTAINTY the specific formatting and pattern (if any…) that the USCIS uses in their receipt numbers? I have read bullshit about 135th day, 136th day, then someone posting with extreme confidence that “USCIS processed x thousand petitions today”. You CANNOT know the numbering convention they are using. What if someone says “oh look it’s obvious, it’s xxx-xxx-xx-xxxx and the last 4 digits are the ones processed today”. And then someone else comed in and posts a receipt number with the digits BEFORE those being different? Will you insist then?

    Are you serious???? Stop posting shit and causing stress to people. Unless your best friend works in the USCIS and actually handles the applications and you have inside info, please shut the f**k up.

    I can give you A MILLION REASONS for delays in the process, even if you are premium (which implies that things are supposed to move faster). Read some below:

    – NO ONE KNOWS the way USCIS works their queue of applications. PLEASE don’t pay much attention to whatever every random person posts here, from supposedly “official” sources such as the USCIS deputy director or some random nobody lawyer etc.

    – USCIS is SEVERELY UNDERSTAFFED. This causes delays to processing times in BOTH centers.

    – THERE IS NO PRIORITY in the queue. They pull out applications from the pool AT RANDOM.

    – They might send the notification by regular mail AND NOT EMAIL EVEN IF IT’S PREMIUM. Regular mail takes TIME to reach the lawyer’s desk, and even when it reaches it, the lawyer MIGHT NOT notify you immediately. You DON’T know how much time it takes for snail mail to reach its destination. The USPS is moving millions of letters each day, especially now with the tax season just ended.

    – THERE IS A DAMN WAITLIST. IT’S OBVIOUS. Think about it: A lot of applications are rejected for reasons other than the lottery such as incorrect info or payment, MULTIPLE PETITIONS FOR THE SAME PERSON etc…. Do you think they will NOT FILL THOSE OPEN SPOTS with applications that did not make it through the lottery in the first place? Do you think they don’t want the money from those applications? If they send them back, they have to return the fees too.

    – DELAYS HAVE HAPPENED IN THE PAST. A good friend of mine who applied LAST year (when there was no lottery) told me that his Premium application got processed in 3 days, and his friend’s (Same company, same lawyer) got processed AFTER 45 DAYS. So there goes your “15 day clock” shit.

    ….Listen everyone, I know this is an extremely stressful situation for all. I KNOW HOW IT FEELS, I had lost all hope, sleep, motivation, life and I had started thinking of the unthinkable Plan B scenarios.

    BUT. Take a step back. Be realistic and set all emotions aside. YOU CANNOT BE SURE, UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THE ACTUAL REJECTION NOTICE/PACKAGE BACK.

    The serious lawyers are NOT IDIOTS. They are LAWYERS DAMMIT. It’s their job to BE CAREFUL ABOUT EVERY WORD THEY SAY. And ALL the serious lawyers have said one thing: We will know once we receive either a receipt notice OR a returned package.

    Hope this helped. Good luck to everyone who deserves it.

    • Thanks,, I have regular/non pop/vsc , waiting. I think mostly pp guys are getting selected, so I m worried a lot.

      • why to worry USCIS process pp cases first it doesn’t mean they have more chances to get H1 , If that is the case everybody should have applied in pp

    • Wowwww…..Do you really have time to write all this…..seriously…………I could not even read through all the post………………………..

    • i suppose we needed a person like you who elaborates the real stuff here.
      but showering ur anger on others isnt fair.
      we are all stressed here and going crazy and are back of crapy numbers, fishy rumors. mainly everyone is trying to find the answer for the only QUestion.
      lets relax..
      lets pray god … he will do the best for all of us.

      • I’m not angry at anyone, I am just trying to nudge everyone into being optimistic and realistic — because that’s what I too needed for the past 2 weeks when I was losing my mind.

    • Calm down… and take a chill pill… who cares if people are putting random number in uscis website or speculating. We all know most of this comments are just opinions and not facts. People are here to share their frustration, looking for some kind of news (since lawyers/uscis have not provided much) or just to looking for hope… So take it easy and let people say/make up whatever they want. It is up to you to believe it or not.

    • i brought up the same point, about random receipt numbers few days back and was booed down by some crazy people supposedly collecting DATAPOINTS and some sh** about TIGER & WOMEN coming out of doors 🙂 LOL

      Guys posting here about receipt numbers is really funny. supposedly, “mailed” means RP, “emailed” means PP. who comes with these theories, is it a puzzle game to look for “patterns” ?? So how the f*** does some PP receipts come by snailmail?? The confidence would make you think they wrote the software for USCIS 🙂

      comments like “Normally VSC starts working at 10. we’ll see receipt numbers in a few minutes” “They just processed 4000 receipts today” , post with so much of confidence, like they are standing just outside the gate, or have a physical copy of some official USCIS report.. ROFL

    • @asdfg – you made lot of assumptions yourself – for example you mentioned about understaffed and waitlist? Unless you have evidence to support your claim it would be unfair to say that too.

      But i agree with you on most parts of your comment otherwise

      • You are missing my main point, which is mentioned multiple times in my post and is that you cannot know unless you receive either a receipt number or your petition package back.

        For what it’s worth, here is a link saying about USCIS being understafeed and, oh wait…”may affect processing times”: http://www.cilawgroup.com/news/2013/02/21/uscis-processing-times-may-be-affected-under-upcoming-sequester/

        Also, the waitlist is the only REASONABLE thing to conclude from all this: they simply cannot send back petitions and end up with a total number that is LESS than the quota, when they have clearly stated that the quota has been reached.

        Example: Let’s say that the do select indeed 65K through the lottery. And of those 65K let’s say that 1K has any sort of error. Either wrong fees, wrong information….ANY reason for them to really reject the petition. Won’t they fill up this open slot with a petition that wasn’t selected through the lottery you think? I believe they will. It’s more money in their pockets.

    • @asdfg: Thank you afdfg; you wrote such an excellent post and congratulations to you!
      I’m Regular Quota/Premium Processing/CSC, still waiting, and my employer said they will give me a final confirmation by the end of this week.
      Saying that, I still believe there is very little chance I’ll hear any good news. Delaying happens, but rarely. It is lottery; there are around 40000 ppls not get selected anyway. It is a reality we have to face, and for people who haven’t heard anything we shall not waste our time in worrying, dreaming or frequently checking others’ posts. Live and enjoy our own life regardless of whether we won this lottery!

    • You have raised some nice points but the merit of your post is lost in your foul language and obnoxious attitude.

      You do not realize that this community is a valuable support group for all anxious applicants. Personally I got my receipt number on 9th and approval on 16th but even the small 24 delay (8th) was a nail biting experience, it is nothing compared to what others are feeling. This place is providing support and hope for everyone.

      At least there are few credible sources here. If not for this place people would be reading random forums. If there are idiots posting rumours at the expense of others but there are people here debunking them. Everyone here atleast has a Bachelor’s degree. I am pretty sure they are qualified enough to take these posts with caution.

      And seriously, you cannot adopt a *no news is good news* attitude. We know for sure there were 124,000 petitions so no matter what there will be more than 35K rejections. You may not like this, you may not want to talk about this but this is the truth.

      USCIS is severely understaffed and may take a month or two to issue rejection notices. You cannot let people hang in limbo till then, hoping for a miracle. We are all intelligent, smart people here. You need to plan an exit strategy, a plan B. God forbid you are in the unlucky ~35K it should not mean the end of the world. You need to ready to tackle the worst scenario head on. There is no time better than now to start preparing. Do not panic but also do not be under prepared.

      And, Best of Luck!

      • I never said people should NOT make Plan Bs. Show me where I said that please.

        I started making them myself. What is that you don’t understand when I’m saying that my post was aiming not at creating false hope for people but rather putting some sense into all this situation and talking with FACTS.

        Good luck to everyone.

        • I never accused you of advising people not to make a plan B. I said you cannot ask them to simply adopt a *no news is good news* attitude and let them hang in limbo.

          (Refer your words “****NOTHING, AND I MEAN N-O-T-H-I-N-G IS OVER UNTIL YOUR LAWYER RECEIVES BACK THE *ACTUAL* REJECTION NOTICE/PACKAGE.
          PUT THIS IN DEEP DOWN IN YOUR MIND.********”)

          And, please do not get me started on facts, you made a lot of assumptions and speculations yourself while accusing others about speculating.

          I gave you a compliment that you raised nice points. Take it as a deserved compliment for taking the time to post something valuable. I do not think either of us has some evil plan to misguide people, our hearts are in the right place. We can argue here all day but our time will be better served helping others. So, truce?

          • Seriously…this is not even a matter of truce or not! We are all here for the same reason and support.

            My words that you mentioned are referring only to the visa issue and how people, in my opinion, should treat it with objectivity. Everything else regarding Plan Bs is personal for everyone.

            I could have easily dropped out of this forum as soon as I received my notice, but I am still hanging here and trying to advise people to not lose their minds because you see what happens. In my opinion, I did not make any assumptions and everything I said is fact based. However, as with everything in life, anyone can perceive it as desired.

            I think we should stop the reply exchange here because all this is definitely creating more stress for everyone, and in a stressed mind things can easily get more “bloated” than they are. Including mine — I suffered a lot.

            Everyone who deserves it, will get it. Good luck!

  48. Florida Senate just launched their proposed Immigration reform bill –
    H1-Bcap increase to 110,000.

    “Raise the base cap of 65,000 to 110,000 (amend the current 20,000 exemption for U.S. advanced degree holders to be a 25,000 exemption for advanced degree graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics from U.S. Schools). “

    • In future years, the cap can go as high as 180,000. The cap will increase/decrease in the following way:

      a. It will be based on two factors plugged into one formula known as the “High Skilled Jobs Demand Index” (with each factor weighed at 50%):

      i. The percentage by which cap-subject nonimmigrant visa petitions approved under section 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b) for a fiscal year exceeds/fails to meet the cap (50%)
      ii. The inverse of the percentage increase/decrease between the previous fiscal year and the current fiscal year in the number of unemployed persons in the “management, professional, and related occupations category” of BLS data (50%).

      b. The most the cap can increase/decrease by each year is 10,000 visas

        • Please understand that the sole purpose of the bill is not to increase H-1B visa cap, the purpose is to reform the US Immigration Process. There are also very stringent regulations to be added to H-1B visa petition process. Like specifically higher salary, job posting on Department of Labor website, increased tier-based visa fee, denial to companies having majorly H-1B employees. I do not feel it will be possible to apply the I2 Bill for this fiscal year (’14 Cap).

          • But for the sake of all affected candidates I sincerely hope that the bill applies to this season as well.

          • Here is the link to outline of the act in case you are interested. www.aila.org/content/default.aspx?docid=44052

    • BTW, Florida Senate? Immigration is a Federal Regulation and the Bill will be presented in the US Congress not some State Senate.

  49. Hi, my case status changed from Acceptance to Initial Review with the message mentioned below:

    On April 17, 2013, the 15-day Premium Processing clock stopped on your I129, PETITION FOR A NONIMMIGRANT WORKER. A notice was sent on this date explaining the specific reason for stopping the premium processing of your case. This notice will contain detailed information on further action required by you. Your premium processing receipt notice contains contact information for direct inquiries on your case.

    Can anyone please share what does it mean, did I get an RFE?
    Thanks.

      • Jaz, have you already experienced it with you or any of your friends, or is it just an assumption.?
        Your thoughts would be appreciated.

        • Hey….

          My 3 friends have experienced this yesterday. Just dont worry, and dont keep refreshing every minute. Check in 1 hour slots, i am sure you will get it. 🙂

          I am not so fortunate in this since my employer filed it in regular processing……

    • Hi there,

      I checked couple of cases with the same message and after few hours they were changed to Decision state with Approved message…
      This might be the same for you as well….

    • This status change can be due to two reasons,

      1. USCIS has issued an RFE on your petition and hence stopped the clock.
      2. USCIS staff has approved your petition and are currently processing the paperwork before uploading the approval and hence they stopped the clock.

      In Case 1 the petition will directly go to clock stopped page from Acceptance/Initial Review, in Case 2 it will go to RFE before going to clock stopped page.

      Please register for email updates on the USCIS website. You will get an email for every change. No need to keep refreshing the status webpage.

      • Really sorry *major typo*!

        In Case *2* the petition will directly go to clock stopped page from Acceptance/Initial Review, in Case *1* it will go to RFE before going to clock stopped page.

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