USCIS announced that on April 11, 2017, it used a computer-generated random selection process, or lottery, to select the 65,000 general-category cap cases and the 20,000 advanced degree cap cases that will be processed. USCIS will reject and return all unselected petitions with their filing fees, unless the petition is found to be a duplicate filing.

USCIS has not announced when it expects to complete data entry for the selected cases nor when it expects to issue receipt notices.

News is being told as “H1B Visa Rule Labeling Computer Programmers as ‘Specialty’ Rescinded” and people are getting worried if their jobs as “Computer Programmers” would not qualify H1B visa applications.

Please have no worry if your jobs are real and come from qualified companies, instead of ICC. From BLS.GOV https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-programmers.htm Computer Programmers are defined as

Computer programmers write and test code that allows computer applications and software programs to function properly. They turn the program designs created by software developers and engineers into instructions that a computer can follow.

The median annual wage for computer programmers was $79,530 in May 2015.

While software Developers are defined as (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm):

Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device. Others develop the underlying systems that run the devices or that control networks.

The median annual wage for software developers was $100,690 in May 2015.

In previous years, many ICCs apply for H1B visas under “Computer Programmers” and abuse H1B visas. In this year, Software developers can have more chance of H1B visas because ICC will have less chance to abuse H1B visa by flooding in “Computer Programmers”.

To learn more, please visit http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/03/technology/h1b-visa-fraud/

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson declined to comment on when in the petition process the site visits may occur, “in order to keep the integrity of our fraud detection process.”

While H-1B visas are used to fill the U.S. skills gap, the Trump administration has voiced concerns about abuse of the program. In some cases, outsourcing firms flood the system with applicants, obtaining visas for foreign workers and then contracting them out to tech companies. American jobs are sometimes replaced in the process, critics say.

The title says all. To learn more, please visit USCIS.GOV https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/putting-american-workers-first-uscis-announces-further-measures-detect-h-1b-visa-fraud-and-abuse

WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced multiple measures to further deter and detect H-1B visa fraud and abuse. The H-1B visa program should help U.S. companies recruit highly-skilled foreign nationals when there is a shortage of qualified workers in the country. Yet, too many American workers who are as qualified, willing, and deserving to work in these fields have been ignored or unfairly disadvantaged. Protecting American workers by combating fraud in our employment-based immigration programs is a priority for USCIS.

Employers who abuse the H-1B visa program negatively affect U.S. workers, decreasing wages and job opportunities as they import more foreign workers. To further deter and detect abuse, USCIS has established an email address which will allow individuals (including both American workers and H-1B workers who suspect they or others may be the victim of H-1B fraud or abuse) to submit tips, alleged violations and other relevant information about potential H-1B fraud or abuse. Information submitted to the email address will be used for investigations and referrals to law enforcement agencies for potential prosecution.

To learn more, please go to http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-33161672

Millions of Indians regularly visit temples and religious sites to pray and seek divine help in fulfilling their wishes.

This 150-year-old Sikh gurdwara (temple) in Talhan village in the northern Indian state of Punjab is the go-to place for thousands of Sikhs wanting to travel out of India.

Many believe that praying at the Shaheed Baba Nihal Singh gurdwara will improve their chances of securing a visa.

To learning more, please go to http://www.ndtv.com/indians-abroad/4-indian-americans-charged-with-h-1b-visa-fraud-1404396

WASHINGTON:  Four Indian-Americans have been indicted for hatching a plot to commit H-1B visa fraud, use of false documents and mail fraud among other offences, the US federal prosecutors said in an official statement.

The couple Sunitha Guntipally and Venkat Guntipally, Pratap “Bob” Kondamoori and Sandhya Ramireddi, allegedly used three California corporations to orchestrate the improper submission of more than 100 H-1B specialty-occupation work visa applications, said the statement from the US Attorney’s Office Northern District of California.

For more details, please visit http://www.computerworld.com/article/3064712/h1b/us-uncovers-20m-h-1b-fraud-scheme.html

The U.S. government has indicted a Virginia couple for running an H-1B visa-for-sale scheme the government said generated about $20 million.

Workers were required to pay their own visa processing fees and were treated as hourly contractors, the DOJ alleged. Treating H-1B workers as hourly contractors is in violation of the program rules, the government said.

A U.S. District Court judge in Dallas is scheduled to consider sentencing, as early as this week, for brothers Atul Nanda and Jiten “Jay” Nanda, for visa fraud following a jury verdict last November. They face up to 20 years in prison for using the visa program to create an on-demand workforce, the government alleged.

To learn more, please go to http://redbus2us.com/news-236000-petitions-received-h1b-2017-lottery-done/

USCIS received a staggering number of over 236,000 petitions for H1B FY 2017 Quota during the standard 5 day filing period between April 1^st and April 7^th, 2016.

For more information, please visit http://www.h1bwiki.com/h-1b-visa-cap-reached-fy-2017/

USCIS Announcement:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached the congressionally mandated H-1B cap for fiscal year (FY) 2017. USCIS has also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the U.S. advanced degree exemption.

USCIS will first randomly select petitions for the advanced degree exemption. All unselected advanced degree petitions will become part of the random selection process for the 65,000 general cap. The agency will reject and return filing fees for all unselected cap-subject petitions that are not duplicate filings.