
Country / Territory
United States
USCIS has announced that the annual limit for Fiscal Year 2018 H-1B employment has been met. The agency will continue to accept filings today, but will reject any cap-subject cases received April 8 or later.
Since April 3, employers have submitted more than enough petitions to meet the quota of 65,000 standard H-1B cap numbers and the cap exemption of 20,000 for holders of U.S. advanced degrees. Though the precise number of cap filings has not yet been disclosed, USCIS officials have indicated that the overall volume is lower than last year's record 236,000 submissions.
Employers will not be able to file any further H-1B cap petitions until April 2, 2018. The agency will continue to accept petitions that are not subject to the cap, including extensions, changes of employer, amendments, concurrent employment for existing H-1B workers, and petitions filed by organizations that by law are exempt from the cap.
What’s Next: The Cap Lotteries
In the coming days, USCIS will run two lotteries to choose the FY 2018 cases that will be processed to completion.
One lottery will be used to select enough cases to meet the advanced-degree cap exemption of 20,000. The other lottery will include both regular and advanced-degree cases, and select enough filings to fill the standard quota of 65,000.
Receipting and Adjudication
Employers whose petitions are selected for processing should begin to get filing receipts within weeks after the lotteries are run. Receipting could continue for several days or weeks after it begins. Receipts will be mailed to petitioners (or their attorneys) by regular mail. Cases not selected in the lottery will be returned to petitioners with their filing fees, but the timing of returns is not yet known.
What This Means for Employers
Employers and foreign nationals should be prepared to wait up to several weeks to learn whether their petitions were accepted in the H-1B cap lotteries. If any of your organization’s cap filings are not chosen, your Fragomen team can assist in identifying alternatives for affected employees.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
© 2017 Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP and affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
Country / Territory
Explore more at Fragomen

Media mentions
Partner Bo Cooper explains how proposed H-1B fee and lottery changes impact hiring of skilled international talent across sectors.

Media mentions
Partner Haider Hussain underlines the role of talent mobility in shaping future growth sectors in the Kingdom.

Fragomen news
Fragomen is recognised by the Financial Times for its innovative work in workforce mobility and cross-sector collaboration.

Media mentions
Partner Daniel Brown outlines steps companies can take to support employees and maintain smooth operations during compliance-related situations.

Awards
Fragomen has been recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Law Firms™ in Germany, earning a Regional Tier 1 ranking in Hessen for Labor and Employment Law.

Media mentions
Partner Shayan Sultan discusses a rise in inquiries about UAE residency and remote work programmes amid global talent mobility trends.

Media mentions
Partner Rajiv Naik, Senior Manager Thomas Kingsmill and Manager Ko Ito highlight rising UK sponsor licence revocations and how HR and mobility leaders can manage the impact.

Media mentions
Partner Bo Cooper discusses the $100,000 H-1B fee and its impact on financial, banking and technology firms relying on international talent.

Media mentions

Media mentions
Partner Audrea Golding explains how the $100,000 H-1B fee could affect hiring across the tech industry.

Blog post
Immigration Supervisor Nathalie Pimenta and Immigration Programme Manager Frida Sakaj discuss the importance of planning visa applications and document services early to avoid delays and ensure compliance with UK regulations.

Media mentions
Partner Bo Cooper explains how proposed H-1B fee and lottery changes impact hiring of skilled international talent across sectors.

Media mentions
Partner Haider Hussain underlines the role of talent mobility in shaping future growth sectors in the Kingdom.

Fragomen news
Fragomen is recognised by the Financial Times for its innovative work in workforce mobility and cross-sector collaboration.

Media mentions
Partner Daniel Brown outlines steps companies can take to support employees and maintain smooth operations during compliance-related situations.

Awards
Fragomen has been recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Law Firms™ in Germany, earning a Regional Tier 1 ranking in Hessen for Labor and Employment Law.

Media mentions
Partner Shayan Sultan discusses a rise in inquiries about UAE residency and remote work programmes amid global talent mobility trends.

Media mentions
Partner Rajiv Naik, Senior Manager Thomas Kingsmill and Manager Ko Ito highlight rising UK sponsor licence revocations and how HR and mobility leaders can manage the impact.

Media mentions
Partner Bo Cooper discusses the $100,000 H-1B fee and its impact on financial, banking and technology firms relying on international talent.

Media mentions

Media mentions
Partner Audrea Golding explains how the $100,000 H-1B fee could affect hiring across the tech industry.

Blog post
Immigration Supervisor Nathalie Pimenta and Immigration Programme Manager Frida Sakaj discuss the importance of planning visa applications and document services early to avoid delays and ensure compliance with UK regulations.