FY 2017 H-1B Cap Petitions: What to Expect

As you likely know, April 1^st was the first day when cap-subject H-1B petitions could be accepted for Fiscal Year 2017.  Now that the filings have started, here is a quick summary of some key information provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS or Immigration Services) in a March 16, 2016 release captioned, "USCIS Will Accept H-1B Petitions for Fiscal Year 2017 Beginning April 1, 2016":

• The congressionally mandated H-1B cap remains at 65,000 for FY 2017 along with the cap exemption for the first 20,000 petitions received for those with a U.S. master's degree or higher (the latter being commonly referred to as the "Master's Cap").
• It is again expected that USCIS will receive more than 65,000 petitions during the first 5 business days of April 2016.