H-1B Cap Registration for FY 2026
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the initial registration period for the H-1B cap lottery registration for fiscal year 2026. The registration will open at noon Eastern on March 7, 2025, and close at noon Eastern on March 24, 2025. During this period, prospective petitioners and their representatives must electronically register each H-1B beneficiary via a USCIS online account and pay the required registration fee.
Important H-1B Registration Details
• Each registration must be submitted electronically using a USCIS online account.
• A $215 registration fee applies for each beneficiary.
• If you are an H-1B petitioning employer without an account, you must create an organizational account.
• Employers with existing registrant accounts will see their accounts converted to organizational accounts after their next login.
• First-time registrants can create their USCIS online accounts at any time.
Registration and Selection Process
• March 7, 2025: Representatives and registrants can begin entering H-1B beneficiary information and submitting registrations with the $215 fee.
• March 24, 2025: Registration closes at noon Eastern.
• March 31, 2025: USCIS will notify petitioners and representatives if at least one of their registrations has been selected.
Beneficiary-Centric Selection Process
For the FY 2026 H-1B cap, registrations are selected based on the unique H-1B beneficiary rather than the number of registrations submitted. If the number of unique H-1B beneficiaries meets the cap by the deadline, USCIS will conduct a random selection process and notify selected beneficiaries accordingly. The H-1B cap for those with a bachelor’s degree is 65,000 and there is an additional 20,000 numbers available for those with a US master’s degree.
Please contact Attorney Monique Kornfeld at mkornfeld@mhkimmigration.com for further information about or assistance with an H-1B petitions.