USCIS Hits FY2027 H-1B Visa Cap, Petition Filing Opens Today

USCIS has confirmed that the FY2027 H-1B cap registration window, which ran from March 4 to March 19, 2026, received sufficient registrations to reach both the 65,000 general cap and the 20,000 advanced degree exemption cap, triggering a lottery and sending selection notifications to employers by the March 31 deadline. Eligible petitioners may now file full H-1B cap petitions from April 1 through June 30, 2026.

This year's lottery is the first to use a weighted selection process, a landmark shift from the purely random lottery system used since the programme's inception. Under the new rule, finalised in December 2025, registrations are prioritised by wage level, giving the highest paid and most senior workers a statistically better chance of selection over entry level applicants.

The stakes this year are dramatically higher for employers. A presidential proclamation issued in September 2025 mandates a $100,000 supplemental fee for H-1B petitions filed on behalf of workers located outside the United States, though those already in lawful US status and seeking a change of status remain exempt from that fee.

For the hundreds of thousands of Indian nationals who entered the lottery, the wait for a selection notification is now over. For those not selected, the path forward grows narrower every year as Washington tightens every lever it controls over skilled immigration.