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USCIS Completes Data Entry of H-1B Cap Subject Petitions & Premium Processing Update

05. May. 2017

USCIS announced on May 3, 2017, that it has completed data entry of all fiscal year 2018 H-1B cap-subject petitions selected in its computer-generated random process. USCIS will now begin returning all H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected. Due to the high volume of filings, USCIS is unable to provide a definite time frame for returning these petitions. USCIS asks petitioners not to inquire about the status of submitted cap-subject petitions until they receive a receipt notice or an unselected petition is returned. USCIS will issue an announcement once all the unselected petitions have been returned.

Premium Processing

As previously announced, USCIS announced in early March that it would temporarily suspend premium processing for all H-1B petitions starting on April 3rd, and the suspension will last up to six months.  That announcement led to a spike in premium processing requests (for H-1B extensions and transfers), particularly in the last week of March.  As a result, the premium processing unit has been unable to meet the 15-day processing time for cases filed toward the end of March.  USCIS has indicated it will refund the PP fee for cases it was unable to adjudicate within 15-days, but still adjudicate such cases as close to the 15-day turnaround time as possible.