USCIS RECEIVES 308,613 H-1B CAP REGISTRATIONS

USCIS announced that it has received 308,613 H-1B cap registration during the March 2021 filing period, including petitions filed for the advanced degree exemption.  About 48% of the registrations were for foreign-national advanced degree students.

This is considerably more than the 275,000 received last year (March 2020, FY 2021).  It is also far more than the 201,000 during the April 2019 (FY 2020) filing period and 190,000 H-1B petitions received during the April 2018 (Fiscal Year 2019) filing period and.

USCIS is in the process of notifying H-1B cap lottery winners.  Based on the Congressional H-1B cap of 85,000 H-1B cap winners, Petitioners should expect about 27% of their H-1B cap filings to be H-1B cap winners because Congress only allows the USCIS to approve H-1B cap petitions.  H-1B winners have 90 days to submit their full H-1B cap petition to the USCIS. 

As has been the case since the launch of the on-line registration system in March 2020, the USCIS will continue to update the H-1B cap winners list.  Therefore, additional winners may be added throughout the spring and summer.  USCIS is not expected to contact any H-1B lottery losers until all 85,000 approval notices are issued.