It’s finally here, the long-awaited H1B 2018 results from the lottery are in. Thousands of people petitioned on April 3rd and now the numbers have been tallied. As you know, the regular cap has 65,000 spots available and the advanced degree or master’s cap has 20,000 spots, so the chances could be considered slim.

What Were the Results?

Here are the numbers for the H1B 2018 visa: during the filing period that extended from April 3rd to April 7th, 2017, the USCIS received 199,000 H1B petitions. This includes both the regular cap and advanced degree exemption.

On April 11th, the USCIS ran all advanced degree petitions through a random computer-generated process to select 20,000 petitions. Then, all advanced degree petitions that were not selected were entered into the regular lottery to select the remaining 65,000 petitions.

If your petition was not selected in either the regular or advanced degree lottery, then your petition and filing fee will be returned to you. However, your fee will not be returned if you submitted a duplicate petition. Also, all new petitions filed under premium processing after April 3rd will not have their premium processing fees returned.

To get a better understanding of the H1B 2018 results, be sure to check out this post covering it in detail.

What Does This Mean?

The number of petitions submitted this year is substantially lower than those that were submitted last year, which totaled over 236,000 petitions. With only 65,000 spots available for the regular cap, that gave all petitioners without an advanced degree a 30% chance of being selected.

However, with the petition submission number being 179,000 after the master’s cap petitions were selected, lower than it has been in years, petitioners for the regular cap have a 36% chance of being selected this year. This percentage is significantly higher than last year.

The USCIS is no longer accepting new H1B petitions. However, it is still accepting and processing petitions for H1B extensions, employment transfers, visa amendments, and petitions for current H1B holders to work for a second employer simultaneously.

You should expect to receive one of two things over the next 30-45 days:

  • a Notice of Receipt if your petition was selected in the lottery, or;
  • a return of your petition and filing fee if your petition was not selected.

How VisaNation Law Group Attorneys Can Help

Even now, VisaNation Law Group’s experienced H1B attorneys are receiving receipt notices for their clients that filed this year. If you have any questions about these H1B 2018 results or are looking for an alternative to the H1B visa, the VisaNation lawyers are ready to help. No matter what your immigration situation is, it’s always best to have a qualified attorney on your side.

To speak with an attorney, you can complete this contact form and schedule your legal consultation today.