USCIS Announces H-1B Visa Lottery Registration Period for 85,000 Foreign Workers, Fee Increased to $215 from $10

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the H-1B visa lottery for 85,000 foreign workers for fiscal year 2026. According to USCIS, the initial registration period will be open from March 7 at noon Eastern to March 24 at noon Eastern. During this period, prospective petitioners and their representatives must use a USCIS online account to electronically register each beneficiary for the selection process and pay the associated $215 registration fee for each beneficiary.

This year, the registration fee has increased from $10 to $215, according to USCIS. Prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners or their representatives are required to use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process. USCIS notes that the $215 registration fee applies to each registration submitted on behalf of each beneficiary.

If an employer does not have a USCIS online account, according to USCIS, they must create an organizational account. USCIS also notes that employers who had a registration account between fiscal years 2021 and 2024 but did not use it for fiscal year 2025 will have their account automatically converted to an organizational account after logging in. First-time registrants can create an account at any time. USCIS has provided additional resources and step-by-step guides on its Organizational Accounts FAQ page, which will be updated with fiscal year 2026 information before the start of the registration period.

Representatives can add clients to their accounts at any time, but both representatives and registrants must wait until March 7 to enter beneficiary details and submit the registration with the $215 fee, according to USCIS. USCIS clarified that since the selection process will occur after the registration period ends, there is no need to rush to register on the first day.

For fiscal year 2026, USCIS will use the beneficiary-centric selection process launched in FY 2025. Under this system, registrations are selected based on the unique beneficiary, not by the registration itself, according to USCIS. If USCIS receives enough registrations for unique beneficiaries by March 24, the agency will randomly select beneficiaries and notify petitioners and representatives through their USCIS online accounts. However, if fewer registrations are received than available slots, USCIS will select all properly submitted unique beneficiary registrations. USCIS intends to notify petitioners and representatives by March 31 if any of their registrations are selected.

For fiscal year 2026, USCIS has introduced several enhancements to its organizational and representative accounts. One key improvement, according to USCIS, is that paralegals can now work with multiple legal representatives. This update allows paralegals to manage H-1B registrations, Form I-129 petitions, and premium processing requests, all within a single account, making the process more efficient for those involved in multiple cases.

USCIS has also made it easier for legal representatives to add paralegals to their clients’ accounts, according to the agency. This streamlined process simplifies the management of client accounts and enhances collaboration within legal teams.

Another notable enhancement, according to USCIS, is the ability to pre-populate certain fields in Form I-129 using data from selected H-1B registrations. This feature will save time and reduce the potential for errors when filing petitions.

USCIS has introduced a new feature allowing representatives to prepare and upload a spreadsheet containing H-1B beneficiary data, according to the agency. This will help pre-populate registration details, making it easier and faster to complete the registration process.

To accommodate high-volume registrations, USCIS has announced that the U.S. Department of the Treasury has temporarily increased the daily credit card transaction limit for the H-1B registration fee from $24,999.99 to $99,999.99, according to USCIS. If the payment exceeds this limit, it may be processed via Automated Clearing House (ACH). USCIS advises petitioners to notify their banks in advance to prevent any potential ACH blockages. Additional information on the registration process and payment methods will be provided before the registration period begins, according to USCIS.