On January 30, 2026, USCIS announced information for the initial registration period for the FY2027 H-1B cap. The fiscal year will run from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027. Individuals selected in this year’s H-1B lottery who then submit an H-1B petition that is approved, may begin working in H-1B Status on October 1, 2026.
Key Takeaways.
Registration:
- Start at Noon EST on Wednesday, March 4, 2026
- End at Noon EST on Thursday, March 19, 2026
Registration Filing Fee:
- $215.00
Method for Registration:
- Electronically through the USCIS online account portals, accessible at https://my.uscis.gov/.
Selection Date:
After March 19, 2026, but no later than March 31, 2026
Note:
While organizations may create an online USCIS account prior to March 4, they will not be able to add registrants/beneficiaries until March 4.
***
Like the prior two years, USCIS will use the beneficiary-centric selection process.
Under this approach, registrations are selected by the individual beneficiary, rather than by the registration or company. In other words, even if a beneficiary has multiple registrations in the lottery, the beneficiary will only be selected once.
New this year, the registration process will have a weighted-selection process for the lottery, allocating visas to “higher-skilled and higher-paid” individuals.
Registrations will need to include: (1) the occupation code; (2); the intended area(s) of employment; and (3) the highest OEWS prevailing wage level that the proffered wage equals or exceeds.
A petitioner/employer may only file an H-1B Cap Subject petition (Form I-129) if the beneficiary’s registration is selected in the lottery.
Some petitioners may need to pay an additional $100,000 fee when filing the H-1B Cap subject petition. As a reminder, USCIS announced its final H-1B Modernization rule, which went into effect January 17, 2025. These rules are still in place for this year’s H-1B Cap-subject lottery.
For more information on the H-1B program, or if you want our firm’s assistance with the registration for new H-1Bs, please reach out to Kolko & Casey, P.C. at (303) 371-1822.
About the Author
Petula McShiras is a Senior Associate Attorney at Kolko & Casey, P.C. Petula specializes in employment based, naturalization and family based immigration matters.
