On May 3, 2017, USCIS announced that it has completed data entry of all H-1B cap-subject petitions selected in the FY2018 lottery. We continue to receive receipt notices for selected petitions. USCIS will now begin returning all H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected, together with their respective filing fees. USCIS has not provided a definite timeframe for returning these petitions, but has stated that it will issue an announcement once all the unselected petitions have been returned. 

Additionally, in order to better distribute the large number of H-1B cap petitions received, USCIS is transferring some petitions from the Vermont Service Center to the California Service Center where they will be processed. Written notice of such transfers will be mailed to petitioners and their attorneys. 

Please note that USCIS’s temporary suspension of premium processing for all H-1B petitions for up to six months continues to be in effect.