Visa Lawyer Blog
USCIS announced today May 17, 2019, that the agency has completed data entry for all H-1B petitions selected for fiscal year 2020, including petitions filed under the U.S. advanced degree exemption.
USCIS will now begin the long process of returning all H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected in the random computer-generated lottery that took place on April 10, 2019. USCIS will provide an announcement once it has completed the return of unselected H-1B petitions.
Petitioners who have not had the H-1B filing fees cashed, can expect to receive the return of their H-1B petition.
USCIS has not provided an approximate time frame for which petitioners can expect to receive an unselected petition.
In previous years, our office began receiving unselected petitions throughout the months of May and June.
If you were not selected in the H-1B lottery, you may qualify for an alternative visa option to remain in the United States. Please click here to read our helpful guide on common alternatives to the H-1B visa.
If your petition was selected, congratulations! Please be on the lookout for a request for evidence or a notice that your petition has been transferred. Some petitions may be moved to a different service center to better balance the agency’s workload.
Premium processing services are available for FY 2020 cap-subject H-1B petitions requesting a change of status. Premium processing requests for these petitions will begin no later than May 20th.
Premium processing for all other FY 2020 cap-subject H-1B petitions will not begin until at least June 2019.