FY 2027 H-1B Cap Initial Registration Period Opens on March 4

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the opening dates and key updates for the FY 2027 H-1B cap registration process, including the implementation of a new weighted selection system.

FY 2027 H-1B Initial Registration Period

The initial H-1B cap registration period will open at noon (ET) on March 4, 2026, and will close at noon (ET) on March 19, 2026. During this period, employers seeking to file cap-subject H-1B petitions must electronically register each prospective beneficiary through a USCIS online account and pay the $215 registration fee per beneficiary.

Employers that do not yet have a USCIS online account must create an organizational account in advance. While representatives may add employer clients to their accounts at any time, beneficiary information and registration submissions cannot be entered until March 4.

USCIS will conduct the H-1B selection process after the registration period closes and expects to issue selection notifications by March 31, 2026, via USCIS online accounts. Only employers with selected registrations may proceed with filing H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption.  Such H-1B cap-subject petitions may be filed with USCIS April 1, 2026 through June 30, 2026.

New for the FY 2027 Cap Season: Weighted Selection Process

For FY 2027, the Department of Homeland Security has finalized a rule changing how USCIS selects H-1B registrations when demand exceeds the annual cap. Rather than a purely random lottery, USCIS will now conduct a weighted selection among unique beneficiaries, prioritizing registrations tied to higher wage levels. This change is intended to favor higher-skilled, higher-paid positions and strengthen protections for U.S. workers.

Each beneficiary will be a unique beneficiary.  If multiple employers submit registrations on behalf of the same beneficiary, that beneficiary will not be counted based on the number of employers that submit registrations; they will be considered a single unique beneficiary. The weighted selection process will then be utilized and a unique beneficiary that is offered a wage that corresponds to Level 4 of the 4-tier DOL wage structure will be entered into the lottery selection pool four times.  A beneficiary with Level 3 wage will be entered three times; a beneficiary with Level 2 will be entered two times; and a beneficiary with a Level 1 wage will be entered only once. If USCIS does not receive enough registrations to meet the cap, all properly submitted registrations will be selected.

Please note that this new weighted selection process may be subject to legal challenges, which could affect its implementation.

Presidential Proclamation and Potential Additional Fee

On September 19, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation titled Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers. While this proclamation does not change the electronic registration process itself, employers with selected registrations may be required to pay an additional $100,000 fee as a condition of filing an H-1B cap-subject petition, depending on eligibility criteria.

Next Steps

Given the significant changes for FY 2027, early planning is critical. Employers should begin identifying potential H-1B candidates, reviewing offered wage levels, and ensuring USCIS account access well in advance of the March registration window.

If you have questions about the FY 2027 H-1B cap process or would like assistance preparing for registration, please contact your WR Immigration attorney.