This year’s H-1B Pre-Registration Filing Period will run from March 4 to March 19, 2026. The registration fee is $215.00.
The H-1B nonimmigrant visa is one of the most highly utilized and sought-after temporary work visas. It facilitates the employment of foreign nationals entering the United States to perform employment in “specialty occupations,” which are occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent to perform temporary duties in the United States.
The H-1B visa is limited to 85,000 visa petition submissions per cap season and employment start dates occur on October 1 of each government fiscal year. H-1B visa petition submissions to USCIS may be filed up to 180 days in advance of the commencement of employment. Please note that petitioners may submit only one (1) H-1B registration per H-1B applicant.
USCIS intends to send selection notifications by March 31, 2026, via users’ USCIS online accounts to prospective petitioners and representatives who have at least one registration selected.
What is new for the Fiscal Year 2027 H-1B Cap?
As we outlined in our January 6 ,2026 Alert (H1B Visa Lottery Undergoes New Challenges with Changes to Random Selection), USCIS amended regulations governing the H-1B lottery selection process with the goal to ‘prioritize the allocation of visas to higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens to better protect the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities for American workers.’
The H-1B wage levels for eligibility for the visa classification will now favor the Level 4 – highest level wage and go down from there. Level 1 – entry level wage offers from U.S. companies - would receive the least chance at lottery selection.
This restriction is in addition to the $100,000.00 fee payment for each H-1 B applicant not located in the United States at the time of selection in the H-1B lottery selection and H-1B petition filing.
Considerations and Deadlines
For those cases selected in the H-1B lottery, employers must adhere to the filing period which is expected to run from April 1-June 30. While in most cases a cap petition may be filed at any time during that time frame, some cases must be filed at specific times and are time sensitive.
Special consideration should be given to F-1 students holding optional practical training status who will need ‘H-1B cap -gap’ protection to continue employment during the summer months. Additionally, consideration would be given to those graduating in the spring of 2026 who, meeting all requirements of the degree, file H-1B petitions after conferral of the formal degree.
Students with valid optional practical training endorsement and valid employment authorization cards with validity expiring after April 1, 2026 and who are selected in the H-1B random lottery may remain in the United States, continue their employment pursuant to the special H-1B ‘cap-gap’ rules, and will have their status changed to H-1B effective October 1, 2026.
For those foreign nationals not selected in the H-1B cap lottery, consideration to other visa category eligibility should be carefully reviewed and considered. Other nonimmigrant visa options, including the O1 visa for extraordinary workers, the E visa for executive, managerial and essential skilled workers from qualifying countries and more, remain backups available for consideration if one may not be selected in the H-1B lottery or not qualify in the first instance.
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