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

On January 30, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the initial registration period for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 H-1B cap will open at noon ET on March 4 and run through noon ET on March 19, 2026.

During that period, prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners and representatives must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary for the selection process and pay the associated $215 H-1B registration fee. H-1B petitioning employers who do not have a USCIS online account must create an organizational account. Representatives may add company clients to their accounts at any time, but both representatives and employers must wait until March 4 to enter beneficiary information and submit registrations and the $215 fee.

Selections will take place after the initial registration period closes. USCIS said it will send selection notifications by March 31, 2026, via users’ USCIS online accounts, to prospective petitioners and representatives who have at least one registration selected.

New for the FY 2027 Cap Season

The new H-1B selection process prioritizes allocating visas to higher-skilled and higher-paid workers. For the FY 2027 H-1B cap season, USCIS will conduct a weighted selection if it receives registrations for unique beneficiaries during the initial registration period that exceed the cap. If USCIS does not receive registrations for enough unique beneficiaries, it will select all registrations for unique beneficiaries that were properly submitted in the initial registration period.

Pursuant to the Presidential Proclamation, Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, a petitioner whose registration is selected and who is otherwise eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition “may need to pay an additional $100,000 fee before filing the H-1B petition as a condition of eligibility,” USCIS noted.

Additional information on the electronic registration process is available on the H-1B Electronic Registration Process page. USCIS said it will update the page before the initial registration period.

This is posting is for informational purposes and is not intended as legal advice. If you require further assistance or advice relating to the above, please contact our Partner, Catherine Betancourt at catherine@flynnhodkinson.com.