USCIS Completes H-1B Initial Registration Selection Process for 85,000 Work Visas from Lottery

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has successfully completed the initial registration selection process for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 H-1B visa program, a lottery system allocating 85,000 work visas. According to USCIS, the agency received sufficient electronic registrations during the initial period to meet the H-1B numerical allocations, commonly referred to as the H-1B cap, which includes the advanced degree exemption known as the “master’s cap.”

USCIS confirmed that it has randomly selected enough beneficiaries from properly submitted registrations to fulfill the FY 2026 H-1B cap. All prospective petitioners with selected beneficiaries have been notified of their eligibility to file an H-1B cap-subject petition. Registrants can now check the status of their submissions through their online accounts on the USCIS website.

The H-1B visa program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations, with an annual cap set by Congress. For FY 2026, petitioners with selected beneficiaries may begin filing H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption, starting April 1, 2025. These petitions must be based on a valid registration and filed either at the designated USCIS filing location or online via my.uscis.gov.

USCIS emphasized that the filing period for H-1B cap-subject petitions will remain open for at least 90 days. Petitioners are required to include a copy of the selection notice with their FY 2026 petition and provide evidence of the beneficiary’s valid passport or travel document used during registration. While registration and selection determine eligibility to file, petitioners must still submit sufficient evidence to establish the beneficiary’s qualifications for petition approval.

According to USCIS, the initial registration period ran from March 7 at noon Eastern Time through March 24 at noon Eastern Time. Petitioners and their representatives used their USCIS online accounts to electronically register each beneficiary for the selection process and paid the associated $215 registration fee per beneficiary. This year, the registration fee for the H-1B work visa lottery increased from $10 to $215.

For fiscal year 2026, USCIS used the beneficiary-centric selection process introduced in FY 2025. This system selects registrations based on unique beneficiaries rather than individual registrations.

USCIS rolled out several enhancements for fiscal year 2026 organizational and representative accounts. A key update allows paralegals to collaborate with multiple legal representatives, enabling them to manage H-1B registrations, Form I-129 petitions, and premium processing requests within a single account for greater efficiency. USCIS has also simplified the process for legal representatives to add paralegals to client accounts, improving team collaboration.

Additional improvements include the ability to pre-populate certain Form I-129 fields with data from selected H-1B registrations, reducing errors and saving time. USCIS has also introduced a feature allowing representatives to upload a spreadsheet with H-1B beneficiary data to pre-populate registration details, further streamlining the process.