On April 10, 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that the computer-generated random selection process, or "lottery," was completed for FY 2015.

USCIS announced that it had received approximately 172,500 H-1B petitions submitted during the initial filing period. USCIS conducted the selection process for the advanced degree exeption first. All advanced degree petitions that were not selected under this exemption (also called the "Master's Cap") became part of the lottery for the general-category cap. Premium processing of H-1B cap cases selected in the lottery will begin no later than April 28, 2014.

Unless Congress takes action to increase the quota of visas available, petitioners filing H-1B cap-subject petitions may refile for the next fiscal year starting on April 1, 2015. However, the earliest that a beneficiary may begin working on an approved petition filed under the FY2016 allocation is October 1, 2015.

USCIS will also continue to process cases that are not subject to the cap, such as a petition for an H-1B worker requesting a change of employer or an extension of status or for employers who are not cap-subject (such as institutions of higher education or certain nonprofit research organizations).

For more on the H-1B cap for FY2015, please click here.