USCIS reached the FY2027 H-1B cap on July 17, 2026, and confirmed there would be no second registration round.
If your employer registered you in March 2026 and you were not selected, or you are planning ahead for the first time, the next opportunity is the FY2028 cap, with registration expected to open in March 2027.
The H-1B lottery is how USCIS allocates a capped number of H-1B visas when registrations exceed the annual limit. Since February 27, 2026, USCIS has weighted the allocation by wage level rather than drawing purely at random, which changes what "the lottery" means for a candidate deciding whether to register again.
This guide covers exactly how registration, selection, and the weighted process work, plus what the FY2027 numbers show about where things stand.
The H-1B visa allows U.S. employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in speciality occupations. These are typically roles that require a high level of technical expertise, such as in IT, engineering, healthcare, and finance. The H-1B visa is unique because it has an annual cap, which makes the process highly competitive.
If you're weighing your options or trying to avoid the lottery altogether, review our comparison of the O-1 vs H-1B visa.
Each year, USCIS receives far more registrations than available visas, so a lottery system selects registrations for further processing. The H-1B lottery is split into two categories every fiscal year:
Only registrations selected in the lottery may proceed to a full petition. Since February 27, 2026, USCIS no longer draws purely at random; it applies a weighted process.
USCIS replaced the purely random H-1B lottery with a wage-weighted selection process effective February 27, 2026, under a final rule (Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions, Federal Register, December 29, 2025).
Each registration is entered into the selection pool once for every wage level the position meets, using the Department of Labor's OES prevailing wage levels:
A Level IV registration is not four times more likely to win any single draw than a Level I registration. It is entered into the pool more times, so across the full drawing it carries a proportionally larger share of the outcomes.
Selection within the combined pool is still random, and the regular cap and master's cap remain two separate pools with their own draws.
USCIS does not publish an individual applicant's odds of selection. But for FY2027, USCIS received approximately 211,600 unique beneficiary registrations against a combined cap of about 85,000, a drop of roughly 37% from the 336,153 registrations submitted for FY2026. USCIS reached the cap and confirmed there would be no second round.
Before registering, both the applicant and the employer need to meet certain eligibility criteria. Failing these results in automatic disqualification.
If you're a graduating student in the U.S. looking to transition from F-1 to H-1B, see our F-1 to H-1B Visa guide.
The H-1B Lottery 2027 registration period ran from March 4, 2026 to March 19, 2026. USCIS notified selected registrants by March 31, 2026, and petitions based on selected registrations were due within 90 days, by June 30, 2026. USCIS confirmed on July 17, 2026, that the FY2027 cap had been reached and that no second round would be held. If your FY2027 registration was not selected, you cannot revive it. You would register again in a future cycle.
USCIS had not announced the exact FY2028 registration dates as of September 2026. Based on recent cycles, expect the registration window to open in the first half of March 2027 and run for roughly two to three weeks, with selection notifications following about two weeks after the window closes. A March 2027 selection would have an employment start date of October 1, 2027, the start of fiscal year 2028.
Confirm exact dates on the USCIS H-1B Electronic Registration Process page once USCIS publishes them. For applicants applying from outside the U.S., once selected, the next step is scheduling the consular interview. See our visa interview and consular processing guide.
The employer must register first in the USCIS Employer Electronic Registration System, unless already registered from a prior cycle. Required information includes:
Applicants should confirm the job description matches a genuine "specialty occupation" before registration opens.
Employers pay a US$215 registration fee per applicant, online, through the USCIS portal. The fee is non-refundable, so confirm accuracy before paying.
Review the registration for accuracy, then submit. USCIS issues a confirmation receipt with a confirmation number, which you need to check later to confirm your selection status.
USCIS reached the FY2027 cap on July 17, 2026 using the weighted process described above, and confirmed there would be no second registration round for that cycle. There is no appeal for a registration that was not selected, and it does not roll forward. The options are to register again for FY2028 in March 2027 or to look at a cap-free category that does not depend on a lottery.
If a registration is selected, USCIS notifies the employer through its myUSCIS account, typically by the date USCIS designates for that cycle (March 31, 2026 for FY2027). If selected, your employer can file a full H-1B petition. They must submit:
A separate US$100,000 supplemental fee, created by Presidential Proclamation 10973, has applied to many new H-1B petitions filed from outside the U.S. since September 2025. A federal court blocked enforcement in June 2026, the First Circuit declined to reinstate it in July 2026, and the government's appeal is pending.
The proclamation itself is due to expire September 20, 2026, unless renewed, and a separate proposed rule (not yet final) would create a standing US$103,265 fee at filing regardless of the proclamation's fate. Once USCIS receives the full petition, it reviews it and, if approved, issues a Form I-797 approval notice.
After I-797 approval, an applicant abroad obtains an H-1B visa stamp at a U.S. consulate before traveling. An applicant already in the U.S. on a different status can begin work once the change of status takes effect. For F-1 students transitioning to H-1B, see our F-1 to H-1B Visa guide for the full timeline.
Not every registration is selected, given demand well above the combined cap. You have two options;
While Beyond Border doesn't process H-1B lottery registrations or petitions, our attorneys can help you explore visa options that don't depend on a lottery.
Two common alternatives are the O-1 visa and the EB-2 NIW. The O-1 is for individuals with extraordinary ability in their field and has no annual cap or lottery. The EB-2 NIW offers a direct path to a green card without requiring an employer sponsor, making it ideal for professionals whose work significantly benefits the U.S.
If your career is still in its early stages and you don't meet these criteria yet, the best approach is often to continue applying for the H-1B while building up your qualifications for cap-free options down the road.
Feel free to request a case assessment and our team will review your background and provide clear guidance on your best path forward.
The H-1B lottery is the process USCIS uses to select a limited number of H-1B registrations for full petition filing when registrations exceed the annual cap.
The registration fee is US$215 per beneficiary, non-refundable, paid at the time of registration.
No. USCIS confirmed on July 17, 2026, that the FY2027 cap was reached in the initial round and that no second round would be held. If your registration was not selected, the next opportunity is the FY2028 cap, with registration expected in March 2027.
USCIS does not publish individual odds, and we do not estimate them. Since February 27, 2026, a higher OES wage level earns more entries in the selection pool, from one entry at Level I to four entries at Level IV, so a higher-paid role is weighted in your favor without being guaranteed. For FY2027, roughly 211,600 registrations competed for a combined cap of about 85,000.
USCIS had not announced exact FY2028 dates as of September 2026. Based on recent cycles, expect the window to open in the first half of March 2027. Confirm the dates with your employer or on the USCIS registration page once published.
You typically need at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in the specialty occupation. Without one, alternatives like the O-1 visa or substantial documented work experience evaluated as degree-equivalent may be worth exploring.
Sophia is an experienced writer with over six years of experience researching and producing clear, authoritative content across legal, immigration, and highly regulated industries. Her background spans legal and immigration content, B2B SaaS, and multilingual content strategy, including producing legally accurate content across markets like the UK, UAE, Canada, France, and Germany. At Beyond Border, she leads editorial strategy across O-1, EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, L-1, and H-1B visa content, combining search-data-driven planning with clear, accurate writing to help global professionals navigate the U.S. immigration system.
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