H-1B Lottery Complete

USCIS Announces H-1B Lottery Is Finished: 85,000 Cases Eligible for H-1B Visas Picked

USCIS announced yesterday that it is has completed the computer-generated lottery system it employs for selecting H-1B petitions. Accepted cases have been receipted, but USCIS mentions that not all cases have been returned – receipt or not. A petitioner will not know for sure whether the case was accepted or not for the lottery until it receives the receipt notice or the checks uncashed in the mail with the unselected petition.

Over 236,000 H-1B cap-subject petitions were filed in the first five business days in April, meaning that over 150,000 petitions will not even be considered for adjudication. Plenty of commentators have harked on Congress to increase the cap because the large volume of H-1B filings means that it is evident employers need this visa. Regardless, the cap has remained steadfast since 2003 and legislation proposing its increase has not made progress.

USCIS also announced that some cases will be transferred from the Vermont Service Center to the California Service Center for adjudication. Both service centers have been lagging behind their stated goal times for adjudications in adjudicating H-1B transfer and extension cases. USCIS did not announce when it expects regular processing cases to be adjudicated. It has announced that it will begin adjudicating premium processing cases on May 12.