WASHINGTON: A US federal agency responsible for the approval of H-1B work visas has returned all the H-1B petitions that were not selected in the computer-generated lottery system in April.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today said that it has returned all the unselected H-1B petitions for the fiscal year 2019, beginning October 1, and were submitted to it in April.
The Congressional-mandated cap of 65,000 H-1B visas and another 20,000 in the advanced degree categories were reached within the first five days after USCIS started accepted H-1B applications in April.
On April 6, USCIS received 94,213 H-1B petitions in the general category and 95,885 in the advanced degree category, as a result of which the federal agency resorted to a computerised draw of lots to select the successful applicants.
Petitions of those not selected have now been returned.