USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap for FY 2017!
On April 12, 2016, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced completion of the H-1B cap lottery selection process. Receipt of more than 236,000 H1B petitions was reported, compared to fewer than 233,000 cap-subject petitions filed last year. The USCIS has not provided a breakdown of how many of these petitions were eligible for the advanced-degree exemptions (or, “master’s cap”), and it is not expected to do so.
Lottery selection for the master’s cap was conducted first, and cases filed in that category that were not selected were included in the regular cap lottery selection. Cases that were not selected in the regular cap lottery will be returned with filing fees. The USCIS will begin to adjudicate cases filed for premium processing no later than May 16, 2016.
On April 9, the USCIS used a computer-generated random selection process, or lottery, to select enough petitions to meet the 65,000 general-category cap and the 20,000 cap under the advanced degree exemption. The USCIS will reject and return all unselected petitions with their filing fees.
The team here at Buda Law Group knows that it is going to be a very long wait for many H1B Applicants who filed a petition for the FY2017 quota. With our experience, we suggest that you remain calm and continue to focus on whatever you are currently engaged in. Do not let the news from other H1B lottery petitioners discourage you, as varying processing times exist for every type of H1B applicant, and results are not simultaneously released throughout the United States. The USCIS is currently rushing to process the 236,000 petitions, so stay patient. You will get through!
If you have any questions about the H1B Process, or any other Immigration issue, they will gladly be answered by the team here at Buda Law Group.
Thank You,
John B. Buda, Esq.
www.budalawgroup.net
office: 626-796-1422
john.buda@budalawgroup.net
1201 W. Huntington Dr. Suite 209
Arcadia, CA 91007
