USCIS Announces FY2027 H-1B Cap Registration Period Will Open March 4, 2026
The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the registration period for this year’s H-1B cap filing season (FY2027), will begin on March 4, 2026. The announcement provides the following important dates:
March 4: H-1B registration period opens at 12:00 PM ET.
March 19: H-1B registration period closes at 12:00 PM ET.
March 31: Date by which USCIS intends to notify selected registrants.
April 1: The earliest date that FY2027 H-1B cap-subject petitions may be filed.
This means that employers will be able to submit online registrations for prospective H-1B employees starting March 4, 2026 to March 19, 2026. We will notify clients and employees of registration selection as soon as possible when USCIS begins notification on or around March 31st. For employees selected in the lottery, we can file H-1B cap petitions during the 90-day filing period starting April 1, 2026.
We will be reaching out to employers with instructions to prepare their myUSCIS online account for the registration process.
If you have not done so already, please notify our office as soon as possible, and by February 25, 2026 at the latest, if you have employees whom you would like to register in the FY2027 annual H-1B cap lottery. Given the two new changes to the lottery this year: (1) the wage-based lottery selection and (2) the H-1B Visa Proclamation, we need sufficient notice to evaluate wage data and advise on strategies to avoid the $100,000 fee.