USCIS Announces Completion of H-1B Lottery Selection Process

On May 17, 2019, USCIS announced that it has completed the "H-1B lottery" selection process for petitions filed during the first week of April 2019. They will now begin returning the H-1B petitions that were not selected in the random selection process. They have not provided a time frame of when they expect to complete the returns.

USCIS is still in the process of sending receipts for petitions selected in the lottery. Unless an official receipt is received in the next two weeks, for those still waiting, it is likely the petition was not selected. Petitioners who issued their own checks for the filing fees can monitor their bank accounts. If the funds are processed, it is a sign that the petition was selected and receipts should follow.

USCIS has also transferred some H-1B cap petitions between the Vermont Service Center and the California Service Center to balance the workload. If a petition is transferred, a confirmation notice will be sent to the petitioner.

Now, USCIS will begin to adjudicate the petitions selected in the lottery. No announcement has been made regarding how quickly selected petitions will be adjudicated.