The demand for H-1B visa slots is expected to be even stronger than last year, when the odds of being selected in were 1 in 2 and 1 in 2.3 for the master’s and bachelor’s categories, respectively.  Employers whose petitions are received by the USCIS during the first five business days of April (Wednesday, April 1 to Tuesday, April 7) will participate in a random lottery for the available visa slots.  Those filing after that time will likely not receive any new H-1Bs, due to quota exhaustion.  Employers whose petitions are selected will receive an H-1B slot effective October 1, 2015.  Those who are not selected or who miss the deadline will not be able to petition for quota-subject H-1B employment until April 2016, with an effective date of October 1, 2016.