FY2020 H-1B Master's Cap Reached

04/12/2019

USCIS has announced it received enough H-1B petitions to meet the advanced degree exemption for Fiscal Year 2020, commonly referred to as the "Master's Cap". Last week, USCIS announced it received enough petitions to meet the 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap for Fiscal Year 2020. In total, USCIS received 201,011 H-1B petitions during the filing period, which began April 1st, including petitions filed for the advanced degree exemption.

USCIS also confirmed it conducted a lottery to select petitions toward the H-1B visa caps on April 10, 2019. USCIS first conducted the selection process for H-1B cap-subject petitions submitted on behalf of all beneficiaries, including those that may have been eligible for the advanced degree exemption. USCIS then selected a number projected to reach the advanced degree exemption from the remaining eligible petitions. USCIS will reject and return all unselected petitions with their filing fees unless the petition is a prohibited multiple filing.