United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a delay in data entry and receipt notices for FY2021 H-1B cap-subject petitions due to health and safety protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the memo, USCIS will not begin intake processing until at least May 1, 2020.
This announcement impacts H-1B Cap cases selected in the FY2021 cap lottery. While petitioners might have already filed their H-1B cap petitions on April 1st, the first day of filing, they should not expect a Receipt Notice for that filing until after May 1st.
Petitions are being stamped with “received by” dates as they arrive in USCIS service centers. USCIS will process petitions in the order in which they are received at service centers.
It is important to note that the delay will not change the specified filing window issued with the H-1B petition’s selection notice. Please contact us if you have questions about your petition. We are always happy to help.
