Understanding the critical difference between Submitted and Not Selected — and why your status hasn't changed yet
One of the most anxiety-inducing experiences during H-1B season is seeing your status stuck on 'Submitted' while others report being 'Selected.' But here's the key fact: Submitted does NOT mean Not Selected. These are two completely different statuses, and understanding the difference can save you days of unnecessary stress.
| Status | What It Means | Action Required |
|---|---|---|
| Submitted | Registration received; lottery not yet run or results not yet posted for your registration | Wait — no action needed |
| Selected | You won the lottery; employer can file I-129 petition | Employer files petition by June 30, 2026 |
| Not Selected | You were not chosen in this round of the lottery | Explore alternatives; wait for possible 2nd round |
| Denied | Registration had an issue (duplicate, invalid, payment failed) | Contact employer/attorney immediately |
USCIS does not update all 343,981 FY2027 registrations simultaneously. The system processes updates in batches — employer accounts are updated first, followed by beneficiary myUSCIS accounts. This batch processing means some people see "Selected" while others still show "Submitted," even though the lottery has already been run for everyone.
In FY2026, the full batch of status updates took approximately 4–5 days from the first "Selected" notification to the last "Not Selected" update. During this window, it was common for beneficiaries to see "Submitted" while their employer already knew the result. If your employer or attorney hasn't told you anything, it may mean they haven't checked yet — or their batch hasn't updated either.
The critical distinction: "Not Selected" is an explicit, final status that USCIS assigns after the lottery. If your status still says "Submitted," the system simply hasn't processed your update yet. There is still a chance you could be selected when your batch updates.
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Search H-1B Sponsors on Wisa →No, absolutely not. USCIS processes status updates in batches over several days. Seeing others report 'Selected' while yours shows 'Submitted' is completely normal. Your batch may update hours or days later. Do not assume you were not selected until your status explicitly changes to 'Not Selected.'
Based on historical patterns, you should wait at least 7–10 days after the first reported selections before drawing conclusions. If your status still shows 'Submitted' after 2 weeks, it is increasingly likely you were not selected — but wait for the explicit 'Not Selected' status. USCIS always eventually updates every registration to a final status.
Under the beneficiary-centric system, each unique beneficiary gets only one lottery chance regardless of how many employers registered them. If you have multiple registrations, only one will be randomly designated for the lottery. The selected one will show 'Selected' and the others will eventually show 'Not Selected.' These updates may happen at different times.
No. Premium processing applies only to the I-129 petition filed after selection — it has no effect on the lottery itself. Premium processing guarantees a 15-business-day adjudication of the petition, but lottery selection is entirely separate. Your registration status updates on the same schedule as everyone else regardless of whether your employer plans to use premium processing.