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On Jan. 30, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2027 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 4 and run through noon Eastern on March 19, 2026.
During this period, prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners and representatives must utilize their online USCIS accounts to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated $215 H-1B registration fee for each registration. As in previous years, selections are expected to take place after the initial registration period closes and USCIS intends to send selection notifications via users' USCIS online accounts by March 31, 2026.
As previously discussed in our alert Recent H-1B Regulatory and Legal Updates and Their Impact on FY2027 H-1B Cap Cases, each FY27 H-1B Cap registration will undergo a weighted wage selection process replacing the random H-1B Cap Lottery process. This new system requires Petitioners to indicate the occupational code, OFLC wage level, and area of employment in each Beneficiary's H-1B Cap registration. Given the new requirements, it is imperative for employers to work closely with immigration counsel to ensure that individuals are correctly classified and when eligible, positioned to have the best chance of being chosen for the H-1B Cap through the weighted selection process.
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