USCIS has announced that it has completed all data entry of FY2019 H-1B cap-subject petitions selected in the computer-generated "lottery" process. The data entry process includes the receipt of petitions selected in the lottery.
USCIS will now begin the process of returning the cap-subject petitions not selected in the lottery. Due to the high volume of filings, the Service is unable to provide a definite timeframe for the return of unselected petitions. The Service received over 190,000 H-1B petitions during the filing period, which began on April 2, 2018.
Additionally, USCIS announced that it may transfer some cap-subject petitions between the Vermont Service Center and the California Service Center to balance their workloads. They will send notifications by mail if a case has been transferred.
As a reminder, the Service also recently suspended premium processing service for all cap-subject H-1B petitions. This means that any petition subject to this year's H-1B cap is not eligible for this expedited 15-day processing.
