FY 2027 H-1B Cap Initial Registration Announcement

USCIS has announced that the initial registration period for the FY 2027 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 4, 2026, and run through noon Eastern on March 19, 2026. During this period, U.S. employers can submit electronic registrations for their prospective H-1B employees.

In December of last year, the DHS published a final rule announcing changes to the H1B Visa lottery selection process, which will now “prioritize... allocating visas to higher-skilled and higher-paid” foreign workers. The Trump administration has also issued a Presidential Proclamation requiring “employers to pay additional $100,000 per visa as a condition of eligibility” for foreign workers outside the U.S. without a valid H-1B or for those inside the U.S. requesting consular/port-of-entry processing.
Prospective petitioners will be notified by March 31, and the selected registrants will then be eligible to file a full H-1B petition.
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Employers are encouraged to identify any employees or applicants who may require sponsorship this year and contact their immigration professional if assistance with the registration process is needed. Anyone who has not previously been counted toward the H-1B cap in prior years is likely to require an entry in the H-1B lottery.
Note that this alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Edgerton Immigration Law.