When was 2018 h1b cap reached

All unselected advanced degree petitions will become part of the random selection process for the 65, general cap. USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap.

However, the agency reminded employers that premium processing has been suspended for up to six months for all H-1B petitions, including cap-exempt petitions. USCIS should reexamine this policy about the suspension of premium processing and bring back premium processing for all H-1B cases as quickly as possible.

The agency announced that petitions filed on behalf of current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap, and who still retain their cap number, will not be counted toward the FY H-1B cap.

Advocates for high-skilled foreign workers point to the announcement to show that demand for high-skilled talent dramatically outpaces supply. CFGI is committed to advancing bipartisan reforms that prioritize visas for immigration-compliant employers that invest in the U. Only around 30 percent of H-1B applicants "win" the H-1B lottery, "keeping thousands of the best and brightest high-skilled immigrants from around the world out of our U.

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Please enable scripts and reload this page. By Roy Maurer April 7, Reuse Permissions. Image Caption. Employment Visas ] "Of course, it is not surprising that the H-1B cap has been met for fiscal year ," said Beth Carlson, an immigration attorney and counsel in the Minneapolis office of law firm Faegre Baker Daniels.

Change the terms of employment for current H-1B workers. Allow current H-1B workers to change employers. However, given the high volume of petitions filed this year, the suspension of premium processing, and a current backlog of non-cap cases, it could mean lengthy H-1B cap processing times. In addition, as we previously reported , USCIS may be issuing a higher than usual requests for evidence RFEs this year, so that may also slow the adjudication process down.

USCIS will continue to accept non-cap H-1B petitions, such as petitions to extend, amend and change employers as well as concurrent employment filings for existing H-1B workers. As per H-1B cap rules, petitions sponsored by institutions of higher education and their related or affiliated nonprofit entities, government research institutions and nonprofit research institutions are exempt from the cap. This means that H-1B cap cases will not be eligible for day processing until September 10 at the earliest.

The option of premium processing remains available for non-cap H-1B petitions as well as other eligible visa petition categories. Use the folder to collect pages throughout our website. USCIS did not announce when these lotteries will take place, but they could be held as early as this weekend.

USCIS will reject all petitions not selected in the lottery and return filing fees for all these unselected cap-subject petitions that are not duplicate filings. Petitions that are selected in the lottery will move forward in the petition process. USCIS will continue to accept and process H-1B petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap, such as extension petitions filed on behalf of current H-1B beneficiaries who were previously counted against the cap.

It should be noted that on April 3, , USCIS suspended premium processing for all H-1B petitions, including cap-exempt petitions, for up to six months. It will therefore take longer than in past years to confirm whether a petition has been selected for processing, since the issuance of H-1B receipts for selected petitions may take several weeks or more.

If, however, USCIS cashes a check for the filing fees associated with an H-1B petition, that will be an indication that the petition has been selected for processing. USCIS has stated that it will continue to accept and process those petitions that are filed to.