As of February 3, 2016, the lengthy processing times of H-1B extensions at the California Service Center and Vermont Service Center continues to be extraordinarily slow and the backlog has been causing significant hardships for affected individuals. Also, this delay may adversely affect the filings for the FY2017 H-1B Cap, which will commence this April 1.
The Immigration’s service center operations (SCOPS) stated that it is aware of the issue and is working closely with service centers to work through the backlog. When pressed on the reasons for the backlog, SCOPS reported a marked increase in H-1B filings, including Simeo filings, and noted that there has been an increase in premium processing as well. SCOPS promised an update the progress by March 9, 2016.