Updated November 11, 2026

H-1B visa lottery: weighted selection, registration dates, fees and what happens after

The H-1B visa lottery is the electronic registration and selection system USCIS uses each March when employer demand exceeds Congress's annual limit of 65,000 regular H-1B visas and 20,000 extra slots for workers with a US master's or higher degree. Starting in fiscal year 2027, USCIS runs a beneficiary-centric, wage-weighted lottery that counts each worker once toward the cap and enters them into the selection pool between one and four times based on their Department of Labor wage level. Only employers with a selected registration can file a Form I-129 H-1B petition for an October 1 start date.

What is the H-1B visa lottery and annual cap?

The H-1B program lets US employers temporarily hire foreign workers in specialty occupations. USCIS and the Department of Labor define a specialty occupation as one that requires the theoretical and practical application of a body of specialized knowledge and at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in a directly related specialty, such as engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, medicine, education, accounting, business specialties, law, theology or the arts.

Because employers seek to hire more H-1B workers each year than the law allows, USCIS holds an electronic registration lottery before anyone can file a full petition. Congress sets the annual numbers in three parts, while exempting certain employers and territories:

• Regular cap: 65,000 visas each fiscal year.
• H-1B1 free trade set-aside: up to 6,800 visas are set aside from the 65,000 regular cap each fiscal year for nationals of Chile (1,400) and Singapore (5,400). Unused H-1B1 numbers roll into the next fiscal year's regular H-1B cap.
• US advanced degree exemption (master's cap): an additional 20,000 petitions for beneficiaries who have earned a master's degree or higher from a qualifying US institution of higher education.
• Cap exemptions and E-3: Petitions filed by US institutions of higher education are exempt from the annual cap, as are H-1B workers in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) if their employer files before December 31, 2029. Separately, the E-3 category for Australian nationals has its own annual limit of 10,500 specialty occupation workers.

How does the H-1B selection process work for FY 2027?

Two rules govern how USCIS picks winners when registrations exceed the cap: the beneficiary-centric selection rule (introduced in FY 2025) and the weighted selection rule (effective starting in FY 2027).

Under the beneficiary-centric process, USCIS selects unique beneficiaries rather than individual employer registrations. Each worker is identified by a single valid passport or travel document and is counted only once toward the numerical cap projections, no matter how many unrelated employers register them. If USCIS selects that unique beneficiary, every employer that properly submitted a registration for that person receives a selection notice and may file an H-1B petition on their behalf.

Starting in FY 2027, USCIS combines that system with a weighted selection pool. A beneficiary's weight is based on the highest Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) wage level that their offered salary equals or exceeds for the relevant Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code in the area of intended employment. Each unique beneficiary is entered into the selection pool a set number of times based on their wage tier:

• OEWS Wage Level IV: entered into the selection pool 4 times.
• OEWS Wage Level III: entered into the selection pool 3 times.
• OEWS Wage Level II: entered into the selection pool 2 times.
• OEWS Wage Level I: entered into the selection pool 1 time.

How USCIS runs the two H-1B lottery rounds and wage multipliers

H-1B electronic registration timeline and fees

The initial H-1B electronic registration window runs for a minimum of 14 calendar days each fiscal year. Selections take place only after the registration window closes, so there is no advantage to registering on the first day. For the FY 2027 H-1B cap season, USCIS set these dates:

• March 19, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern: Initial H-1B registration period closes.
• By March 31: USCIS intends to notify selected registrants in their USCIS online accounts.
• April 1: Earliest date employers may file FY 2027 H-1B cap-subject Form I-129 petitions for selected registrations, with a designated 90-day filing window.
• October 1, 2026: Earliest employment start date that may be requested on an FY 2027 cap-subject petition.

Fees and payment limits from uscis.gov, as of November 2026

Other Form I-129 filing fees and the vacated proclamation payment

When an employer files Form I-129 after selection, additional statutory fees listed on Form G-1055 (Fee Schedule) apply beyond the table above. These include the base Form I-129 filing fee, the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA) fee (for initial H-1B petitions, changes of status or employer, and first extensions, with exemptions for higher education and qualifying nonprofits), and the Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee (for initial H-1B grants or employer changes, with H-1B1 exempt).

Employers with 50 or more employees in the US and more than 50 percent in H-1B, L-1A or L-1B status must also pay the Public Law 114-113 fee and, under a DHS final rule effective September 9, 2026, the 9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee for all H-1B petitions (except amended petitions not seeking an extension of stay). Optional premium processing on Form I-907 is available for all H-1B petitions, with fees adjusted effective March 1, 2026.

A Presidential Proclamation effective September 21, 2025, required certain H-1B petitions to include the additional payment shown in the table above. On June 8, 2026, the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated the agency guidance implementing that payment requirement in State of California v. Mullin, and on July 24, 2026, the First Circuit denied the government's motion for a stay. DHS is complying with the court's order while considering next steps, though it plans to collect the payment if the order is later lifted.

Step-by-step H-1B electronic registration checklist

USCIS reports that the two most common user mistakes during the lottery are creating the wrong type of online account and entering the same beneficiary more than once. Work through this six-step checklist to submit a valid registration:

• 1. Create the right USCIS online account. Prospective petitioners must create an Organization/Company account (formerly a registrant account), even if an attorney submits the registration. Attorneys use a Legal Representative account to prepare registrations and Form G-28, and the client logs into their organizational account to review and approve both. Individual applicant accounts cannot be used. An authorized signatory for two separate companies needs two organizational accounts with unique email addresses.
• 2. Gather each beneficiary's identity and passport details. Enter the beneficiary's given, middle and family name, sex, date of birth, country of birth and citizenship, whether they earned or will earn a US master's or higher degree, and a valid, unexpired passport or travel document number, issuing country and expiration date. Invalid entries like NA or 00000 invalidate the registration. Register each beneficiary under only one passport or travel document, matching the one they used or will use to enter the US.
• 3. Determine the SOC code, worksite and OEWS wage level. Provide the 6-digit SOC code, the area of intended employment (city, state and county), and the highest OEWS wage level (I, II, III or IV) that the proffered wage equals or exceeds. If there is no current OEWS prevailing wage for the role, select the wage level matching the position's requirements under Department of Labor prevailing wage guidance.
• 4. Use the bulk upload and duplicate checker tools. Employers can use USCIS's bulk upload template for up to 2,500 beneficiaries. Run the built-in duplicate checker and download the .csv tool to confirm neither the company nor its attorney entered the same worker twice. Submitting more than one registration for the same beneficiary without deleting the extra entry before 5:00 p.m. Eastern on March 19, 2026, invalidates all registrations by that employer for that worker for the fiscal year, with no appeal and no refund.
• 5. Sign the mandatory anti-fraud attestations. Under penalty of perjury, certify that the registration is true and correct, reflects a bona fide job offer, offers a salary at or above the selected OEWS wage level in the area of intended employment, and that the organization has not worked with any other entity to unfairly increase selection chances.
• 6. Pay the registration fee and confirm clearance on Pay.gov. Pay via card, US checking account or ACH before the deadline. A registration is valid only once payment clears. If a check is returned or a card payment is declined or disputed after the window closes, USCIS invalidates the registration.

What your H-1B registration status means in myUSCIS

After you submit, your USCIS organizational account displays one of seven statuses for each beneficiary. Unselected valid registrations are not switched to Not Selected in March. they stay in Submitted status in case USCIS needs a second selection round later in the fiscal year.

• Processing submission: USCIS is processing your entry. It can take up to 72 hours for full case details to appear, and you cannot open the draft while it processes.
• Submitted: Your registration is in and eligible for selection. If it wasn't picked in the initial lottery round, it stays as Submitted and remains eligible for any subsequent selection rounds in that fiscal year until the cap is reached.
• Selected: You may file a cap-subject Form I-129 petition for this beneficiary during the 90-day filing window on your selection notice.
• Not Selected: USCIS has determined the H-1B cap for the fiscal year has been reached, and this registration was not chosen.
• Denied: Either the passport or travel document information was invalid, or the same registrant submitted multiple registrations for the same beneficiary (invalidating all of that employer's entries for that person).
• Invalidated, failed payment: The payment method was declined, not reconciled, disputed or otherwise invalid.
• Deleted: The registration was deleted by the user before the window closed and is no longer eligible.

H-1B lottery registration numbers and selection rates (FY 2021 to FY 2026)

USCIS's historical table shows how sharply multiple registrations rose through FY 2024 and how quickly they dropped once the beneficiary-centric rule took effect in FY 2025. In FY 2026, USCIS recorded 358,737 total registrations from about 57,600 unique employers for about 339,000 eligible unique beneficiaries, an average of 1.01 registrations per beneficiary.

By our calculation from USCIS's historical registration table, the 120,141 selected registrations in FY 2026 represent 34.9% of the 343,981 eligible registrations (compared with 28.7% in FY 2025 and 24.8% in FY 2024). Meanwhile, eligible registrations for beneficiaries with multiple entries fell from 53.9% of all eligible registrations in FY 2024 to 2.3% in FY 2026, by our calculation from the same USCIS table.

H-1B registration and selection history (FYs 2021-26), from uscis.gov

What happens after selection: LCA and Form I-129 filing rules

A selection notice gives the employer a 90-day window to file an H-1B cap petition. First, the employer must submit a Labor Condition Application (Form ETA-9035E) through the Department of Labor's FLAG system no more than 6 months before the start date, attesting it will pay at least the actual wage paid to similarly employed workers or the prevailing wage in the area of intended employment, whichever is greater. The Department of Labor reviews LCAs within 7 working days.

Second, the employer files Form I-129 (09/09/26 edition) and any Form I-907 online (timestamped in Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC) or by mail to the address on the selection notice. Follow these Form I-129 matching rules:

• Start date: Request an employment start date of October 1, 2026, or later (and 6 months or less from the receipt date). USCIS rejects petitions requesting ASAP or a date more than 6 months out.
• Selection notice: Attach the H-1B Registration Selection Notice and enter the Beneficiary Confirmation Number on the H Classification Supplement (page 13, question 5).
• Wage and SOC match: Submit evidence of the OEWS wage level basis as of the registration date. Match the registration's 6-digit SOC code, worksite area and prevailing wage tier (entering a 6-digit SOC code like 17-2051 on Form I-129 to align with an 8-digit O*NET-SOC code like 17-2051.01 on the LCA is allowed).
• Passport and changes: Include a copy of the passport or travel document from registration. If it expired since registration, enter the new passport on page 3, Part 3 of Form I-129, attach both copies and explain. Flag any mismatch or company address change with a brightly colored coversheet, explanation and proof.
• Degrees and signatures: Attach degree credentials (or a final transcript or registrar's letter if requirements are met), proof of a bona fide job on the start date, the Part 6 export-control certification, and a valid original handwritten signature (or a scan/photocopy of one). If selected under the master's cap, the beneficiary must hold the qualifying US master's or higher degree at the time Form I-129 is filed.

F-1 OPT cap-gap extension: staying and working until October 1

Many H-1B lottery winners are F-1 students on post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) whose EAD expires before October 1. USCIS's cap-gap regulations automatically bridge that gap if the employer properly and timely files a cap-subject H-1B petition requesting a change of status (not consular processing) on or after April 1 while the student's authorized F-1 duration of status (D/S) is still in effect.

• Filed while OPT is active: Both F-1 status and OPT work authorization extend automatically until April 1 of the fiscal year for which H-1B is requested or the approved petition's start date, whichever is earlier.
• Filed during the 60-day F-1 grace period: F-1 status extends automatically so you can remain in the US, but you cannot work because work authorization already ended.
• Proof for your employer: Give your Designated School Official (DSO) the petition and mailing receipt, then the Form I-797 receipt notice, to get an updated Form I-20 showing the automatic extension.
• Travel warning: Traveling abroad while an H-1B change-of-status petition is pending abandons the change of status. You may generally travel and return in F-1 status during cap-gap only if the H-1B change of status is already approved and you re-enter before it takes effect.
• STEM OPT and unemployment limits: Eligible students may apply for a 24-month STEM OPT extension during cap-gap before any denial or rejection. Standard OPT allows up to 90 days of unemployment, and a 24-month STEM extension adds 60 days for 150 days total.
• Denials or layoffs: If the petition is denied, rejected, revoked or withdrawn, cap-gap ends and you generally get a 60-day grace period to depart (unless denied or revoked for a status violation, fraud or misrepresentation). If laid off after H-1B approval before October 1 with unexpired OPT, the employer must request withdrawal before the effective date and your DSO must request a SEVIS data fix.

Practice example

What will your job duties be, where will you work, and what salary will your employer pay you?

Give a clear, two-sentence summary that matches your Form I-129 petition, your certified Labor Condition Application (Form ETA-9035), and your original lottery registration. State your exact job title, two or three core technical duties that require your degree in a specific specialty, the city and state of your worksite, and your exact annual salary. Under the FY 2027 weighted lottery rules, the job duties, 6-digit SOC code, worksite location and offered salary on your petition must align with the OEWS wage level your employer selected when registering you in March. Have your Form I-797 approval notice, a copy of the certified LCA, your employer's support letter, and your university degree and transcripts ready in your folder in case the officer asks to verify your qualifications or worksite.

The consular officer is checking that you are filling a bona fide specialty occupation and that your actual role, worksite and salary match the certified LCA, the Form I-129 petition and the wage level used in the H-1B lottery.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.