We hear a lot about the limited # of H1B visas available, about how it functions as a lottery, etc... What are common issues with the H1B application process that don't receive as much public attention?
Many petitions get rejected - without recourse - because they're not submitted/prepared properly and it's much easier to deal with the lottery and resolve issues with premium processing.
Does this mean that premium processing circumvents the lottery whatsoever?
No. Premium processing only affects the speed of processing - the lottery odds remain unchanged.