On May 31, 2018, USCIS started accepting H-2B petitions under a rule increasing the numerical limit on H-2B nonimmigrant visas by up to 15,000 through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2018.
USCIS stated that in the first five business days of filing, USCIS received petitions for more beneficiaries than the number of H-2B visas available under the FY 2018 supplemental cap. Accordingly, USCIS said it is required by regulation to use a computer-generated process, commonly known as a lottery, to randomly select the number of petitions required to meet the increased cap for FY 2018.
The lottery will include all H-2B cap-subject petitions received between May 31, 2018, and June 6, 2018. USCIS said it will reject and return all unselected petitions with their filing fees, as well as any cap-subject petitions received after June 6.
All selected petitions will be assigned the same receipt date once the lottery is completed. Premium processing service for accepted petitions will begin on that receipt date, USCIS said.
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