H-1B Lottery 2026 FY Cap Initial Registration Opens on March 7

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the initial registration period for the FY 2026 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 7 and close at noon Eastern on March 24, 2025. During this window, employers and legal representatives must submit electronic registrations for each prospective H-1B beneficiary through a USCIS online account and pay a $215 registration fee per application.

Key Updates for FY 2026 H-1B Registration

1. Beneficiary-Centric Selection Process

   • USCIS will continue using the beneficiary-centric selection process introduced in FY 2025. Instead of multiple entries per candidate, each unique beneficiary will be considered only once in the lottery.
   • If registrations exceed the cap, USCIS will randomly select unique beneficiaries and notify applicants by March 31.

2. Payment & Transaction Limits Adjustments

   • The U.S. Department of Treasury has temporarily increased the daily credit card transaction limit from $24,999.99 to $99,999.99 to accommodate bulk H-1B registrations.
   • Transactions above this limit can be processed via Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments, though banks may require pre-authorization.

3. Organizational Account Enhancements
   USCIS has introduced several improvements to streamline the H-1B filing process:

   • Paralegals can now collaborate with multiple legal representatives and assist in preparing H-1B petitions and premium processing requests.
   • Bulk Uploads: Employers can pre-populate H-1B registrations using spreadsheet uploads for efficiency.
   • Auto-Fill Forms: Certain fields from selected registrations will be pre-populated in Form I-129 for ease of filing.

Important Notes for Employers & Attorneys

• New Employers: Those without a USCIS online account must create an organizational account before registering beneficiaries.
• Existing Account Holders: Employers who had an account from FY 2021-FY 2024 but didn’t use it for FY 2025 will see their account converted to an organizational account upon login.
• Legal Representatives: While clients can be added at any time, beneficiary information and registrations can only be submitted starting March 7.

Important Dates

There are 6 important dates you should remember for this coming H-1B lottery:

• Feb 28: Employers create a USCIS online account
• March 7: H-1B registration opens
• March 24: H-1B registration closes
• March 31: USCIS notifies H-1B winners
• April 1: H-1B petition submission begins
• Oct 1: H-1B start date The lottery randomly selects enough petitions to meet the annual H-1B visa cap.

Final Thoughts

Employers planning to sponsor H-1B workers for FY 2026 should ensure their USCIS accounts are set up, stay informed on new filing procedures, and be prepared for the March 7–March 24 registration period. Additional details on the electronic registration process and organizational accounts can be found on the USCIS website.

For further updates, USCIS will continue providing guidance leading up to the registration deadline.

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