All H1B Master's Quota here

[harish28]

Hello everybody,

I'm a new member and i joined this forum today because i'm stuck in a knot. I am a Master's Student and i'll be graduating this May 2007. I have applied for my OPT which will start from 04 Jun 2007 and will end by 04june 2008. Now the next day after i sent my OPT forms to the immigration i read the news about the H1 general quota being filled already on the first day. I am really confused now.

Here is where i need your help, any prediction or idea when the Master's quota would be filled this year? Is there any way (website or something) that we can keep trck of the number of H1 application vacancies available in the Master's quota.?? Till what date so you think i should have a company file my H1 if i have to get into the MAster's quota this year?

These are the three questions that i seek the answers for...

Well if in case i am not able to file my H1 this year i can do that next year but the prolem is on the 5th of June 2008 my OPT is going to end and then till Oct 2008 i'll have a status problem. Any suggestions on what i can do and what are my options?

Any help and suggestion from anybody would greatly help me in deciding my future and your comments would be highly appreciated. Waiting eagerly for a response.

[pani_6]

Since you have not applied this time...you cant get in this years Quota..so get an job where you can get h1 sponsorship next year..So take off to india once your opt is over...get the employer to get you the h1b papers once approves and start to work next 08 Oct1...
Visit indianscholar.com for student updates!
Good luck~!

[pappu]

Welcome to IV. There is no data available to us yet suggesting how many applicants that applied were for Masters quota. However masters quota would be definately filled very fast for you to apply this year before your OPT starts. We are trying hard to get an immigration bill bassed this year. This bill has a few provisons for international students in US universites and US educated students.

For a start read STRIVE act, for some of the provisions that will help students like yourself.

Hopefully with everyone's help we will succeed this year. Do join us in our efforts and encourage others you know to join in this community effort.

[logiclife]

This years master's quota is probably filled. They received 200,000 files for 65,000 regular plus 20,000 masters quota available.

So I would not be surprised it its already over.

The reason is that last year, the 20,000 master quota was over in nearly 3-4 months and many students on F1 and OPT missed the train last year. This year, those students are also in queue and in addition, the new students graduating this summer are also trying to get in.

The situation will get worse each year as previous year's students try to catch up the following year.

I would suggest you make arrangements to keep your status alive between May and Oct in 2008. Or find a job that is exempt from H1 quota. All the jobs that are in Universities, non-profit organization etc are not subject to quota. That is one way to do it. The other way to do it is to apply for Ph.D (I know, its not a joke to do that) and get an admission in there to continue your F1.

[sgorla]

First of all, welcome to IV!

So far there is no information about how many H1B applications have been filed under US Master's or higher quota, but there is a rumor that it may reach as early as this week (I can't provide you a source for this rumor).

There is no tracking facility provided by the USCIS, however they will issue new release if the cap is reached. Note that the USCIS has to go through all the petitions they received so far to estimate how many of those applications fall into this specific category. As of now, the USCIS is accepting new H1B petitions falling under master's quota.

You may want to re-enroll as a student at one of the universities after June'08 to maintain your status, if you can not file for new H1B this fiscal year.

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by harish28

Hello everybody,

I'm a new member and i joined this forum today because i'm stuck in a knot. I am a Master's Student and i'll be graduating this May 2007. I have applied for my OPT which will start from 04 Jun 2007 and will end by 04june 2008. Now the next day after i sent my OPT forms to the immigration i read the news about the H1 general quota being filled already on the first day. I am really confused now.

Here is where i need your help, any prediction or idea when the Master's quota would be filled this year? Is there any way (website or something) that we can keep trck of the number of H1 application vacancies available in the Master's quota.?? Till what date so you think i should have a company file my H1 if i have to get into the MAster's quota this year?

These are the three questions that i seek the answers for...

Well if in case i am not able to file my H1 this year i can do that next year but the prolem is on the 5th of June 2008 my OPT is going to end and then till Oct 2008 i'll have a status problem. Any suggestions on what i can do and what are my options?

Any help and suggestion from anybody would greatly help me in deciding my future and your comments would be highly appreciated. Waiting eagerly for a response.

[manderson]

Go for another M.S. to maintain F1. It doesn't have to be a phD.

[harish28]

Thanks for all the responses and suggestion. All your suggestions mean one thing my filling the H1 this year is near to impossible. well i understand the situatiuon and now i'm in a state to plan my moves.

Firstly can i take my OPT back and continue my current masters?? I sent the forms on say 1st of April..

Sencond, Is this an option that i file my H1 with some firm next year (2008) and after my opt expires join for a Masters/PHD course get a F1 status so that i can stay in the US, then when my H1 comes to act on Oct 2008 can i take that and withdraw from the Masters program and also change from F1 to H1??? Is this possible coz this is what i might plan to do.....

Please help me out. Thanks againg for the responses..

[ramvinay]

Harish,

Sorry to hear about your situation. Please talk to your international student office immediately to see if you can withdraw your opt application and also postpone your graduation to December . If that is possible you can continue to take courses in summer and fall and graduate in december 2007 and apply for an OPT in december. That will give you a chance to apply for next years
H1. Hope this helps.

Good Luck!!!

[das0]

- Best is to delay OPT
- Get a letter from your Advisor and your Internaltion Student Concil Mgmt
- Try to look for a H1 sponsor organization who will wait for you till Oct, 2008
- Try not to get a job in non-profit org/universities in exempt H1, later your will be subjected to H1 cap if you try to txfr to for profit company

[nixstor]

Originally Posted by manderson

Go for another M.S. to maintain F1. It doesn't have to be a phD.

For getting into next year lottery

check these two links that gives the number of F1 students by major and country

US schools and economy are gonna be hit hard if no reforms occur soon.

[sgorla]

Scroll down to see this topic on
http://www.immigration-law.com/

[das0]

04/05/2007: USCIS Cap Files Tally as of 04/04/2007

USCIS has just released their tally of cap filings as of 04/04/2007, Wednesday. In two days (04/02 and 04/03), they received 133,000 unique pieces of mail containing H-1B petitions, which turned out to be lower than 150,000 which they had initially reported. They reached the updated number following a physical count of the mail. Each piece of mail may contain more than one H-1B petition and it will take USCIS a substantial amount of time to open and sort through that volume of mail. It is a good news in a way that at the end, the total may turn out to be less than guestimate in the community and the rate of odds for winning in the lottery may be much more promising than the one initially anticipated in the rumors.
As of Wednesday, total they sorted out and each type of cases identified were as follows:
Total Sorted Out: 32,755
General cap cases: 28,052
U.S. Master or higher degree cases: 4,703
The USCIS promises to update report from time time as they continue to sort out the remaining packages.
It is surprising that the U.S. Master or higher degree cases are more or less higher than expected.


HUM - Even if i do a liner extrapolation, there will be 19,097 US-MS in the 130,000 packets which transates that those who applied on Apri l 2 and 3 will get into the 20K US-MS quota!

This assumes a linear sampling of US-MS petitions in the above reported USCIS sample (4703 US_MS petitions in 32775)

[k3GC]

If less than 20,000 MS H1B applications were received on April 2, what will be the rules of the lottery? Will all those whose applications were received on April 2 be guaranteed a H1? In this case,will lottery apply for April 3 and April 4?

[das0]

Originally Posted by k3GC

If less than 20,000 MS H1B applications were received on April 2, what will be the rules of the lottery? Will all those whose applications were received on April 2 be guaranteed a H1? In this case,will lottery apply for April 3 and April 4?

Great question! Actually i do have the same question. Can anyone offer feedback here?

i will call a Immigration Office at USCIS tomorrow on this.

[das0]

Originally Posted by das0

Great question! Actually i do have the same question. Can anyone offer feedback here?

i will call a Immigration Office at USCIS tomorrow on this.

Maybe,...

1. If USCIS get <= 20k on April 1 (sunday), 2 and 3, all US-MS petitions are guaranteed to be at least processed ??

2. If UCSIS get > 20k on April 1 (sunday), 2 and 3, then i guess, all 20k+ numbers with receipt date including that date when USCIS officially announce H1B-US_MS cap reached, will be under random lotter??