U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services FY 2027 H-1B Cap Registration Period Opens NOON March 4, 2026

02/09/2026

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Effective February 27, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will implement a weighted selection process for the Fiscal Year (“FY”) 2027 H-1B Cap-Subject Registrations (the "H-1B Cap lottery” or the “lottery”), replacing the prior random selection system. Under the new approach, a beneficiary will be entered into the lottery according to the highest Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) wage level that the proffered wage exceeds—up to four entries for the highest wage level.

H-1B Cap-Subject Registrations will still be completed online through myUSCIS. The USCIS filing fee remains at $215.00 per registration.

USCIS announced that the registration period for FY2027 will open at 12 noon ET on March 4, 2026, and run through 12 noon ET on March 19, 2026.

The electronic registration process streamlines processing by reducing paperwork and data exchange and provides overall cost savings to employers seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions. Prospective petitioners submitting their own registrations (U.S. employers and U.S. agents, collectively known as “registrants”) will use an “organizational” account (formerly known as a “registrant” account).
 
Those who have an existing registrant account can easily upgrade to an organizational account instead of creating a new account. Of note, the USCIS confirmation number assigned to each registrant is used solely to track registrations and cannot be used to track the case status in Case Status Online.
 
It is important to collect detailed job descriptions and analyzing wage levels, etc. as soon as possible to insure timely and accurate filing for the Cap registration.  

Note the anticipated schedule for the FY2027 cap lottery:

• March 4, 2026, at 12 noon ET: Registration period opens.
• March 19, 2026, at 12 noon ET: Registration period closes.
• By March 31, 2026: USCIS will make selections and update the myUSCIS portal.
• April 1, 2026, until June 30, 2026: Initial H-1B cap-subject petition filing period for selected beneficiaries and their registrant employers.

We would be happy to assist with the registration and potential subsequent preparation of your/your company’s H-1B cap petition. Please feel free to contact BoBi Ahn, Of Counsel, at bahn@wbny.com for further assistance.