IMMIGRATION UPDATES: H-1B CAP LOTTERY RUN and EB-5 CHINA RETROGRESSION IN MAY

USCIS RUNS H-1B LOTTERY & RELEASES STATISTICS ON H-1B CAP FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016

In a statement released today, USCIS announced that it has received enough H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 visas for fiscal year (FY) 2016. USCIS has also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the advanced degree exemption or  "masters cap."   

USCIS received nearly 233,000 H-1B petitions during the filing period, which began April 1, including masters cap petitions. This marks an increase of about 35 percent from last year, placing the odds of selection at approximately 36 percent. Today, April 13, USCIS used a computer-generated random selection process, or lottery, to select enough petitions to meet the 65,000 general-category cap and the 20,000 masters cap. USCIS will reject and return all unselected petitions with their filing fees, unless the petition is found to be a duplicate filing.

Update: USCIS previously noted that it would begin premium processing for H-1B cap cases no later than May 11, 2015. On April 14, 2015, USCIS released a statement indicating the agency will begin premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions requesting premium processing on April 27, 2015. 

 

STATE DEPARTMENT VISA BULLETIN FOR MAY 2015 INDICATES RETROGRESSION FOR EB-5 CHINA

Today, the State Department released its May 2015 Visa Bulletin in which it announced the long-anticipated retrogression of EB-5 China.  For more information about the impacts of EB-5 China retrogression on investors and regional centers, D&S recommends reading the 2014-2015 Edition of ILW.com's The EB-5 Book, with a chapter co-authored by D&S Partner, Sarah Schroeder, entitled "EB-5 China Retrogression: Considerations for Investors and Regional Centers".