USCIS Announces FY2027 H-1B Cap Has Been Reached
Overview
On July 17, 2026, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the H-1B Cap for fiscal year 2027 (FY2027) has been reached. The USCIS received enough petitions to fill both the 65,000 regular cap and the 20,000 advanced degree exemption, for a total of 85,000 H-1B visas.
Employers had until June 30, 2026, to file petitions for registrations selected in the FY2027 lottery. Consequently, there will be no second lottery drawing this year.
What Changed This Year
FY2027 marks the first year that the USCIS used the new weighted cap selection. The new process favors registrations with higher wage levels and increases the likelihood of selection under the Department of Labor’s prevailing wage system.
The USCIS has not yet released enough data to determine the overall selection rate for FY2027. However, in May 2026, the agency reported that 211,600 registrations had been properly submitted, compared to 343,981 for FY2026, representing a decrease of approximately 38.5%.
The USCIS also reported that 71.5% of selected foreign nationals held a U.S. advanced degree, compared to 57% in FY2026, and that only 17.7% of selected registrations were in the lowest wage category, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Level 1. Although additional data is needed to fully evaluate the new system, the available figures show that selected registrations were concentrated among higher wage levels and beneficiaries with U.S. advanced degrees.
What This Means for Our Clients
Now that the FY2027 cap has been reached, there are no further opportunities for cap-subject H-1B employment for this fiscal year. Foreign nationals whose registrations were not selected may be registered again by a sponsoring employer when the FY2028 registration period begins in March 2027.
Please contact our office with any questions regarding employees who were not selected, petitions that remain pending, or possible alternative immigration options.