FY2027 H-1B Cap Reached

July 30, 2026 Paola Calero

On July 17, 2027, USCIS announced they had officially received enough H-1B petitions to reach the Fiscal Year 2027 (“FY2027”) annual cap of 85,000 visas. Employers had until June 30, 2026, to file H-1B petitions for beneficiaries selected in this year's lottery. To date, USCIS has not specified how many total H-1B cap cases were received during this filing window.

USCIS Completes Initial Registrations for Fiscal Year 2027 H-1B Cap

April 1, 2026 Paola Calero

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced on March 31, 2026, they had reached the H-1B Cap for Fiscal Year 2027 (“FY 2027”). The Service reported that it has received sufficient registrations to reach the congressionally mandated limits for the H-1B visa regular cap, as well as the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap) for FY2027and has completed the lottery selection process.

H-1B Cap Selection Shifts to a Wage-Weighted System Beginning in FY 2027

January 7, 2026 Paola Calero

The Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) has announced a significant change to how H-1B cap registrations will be selected. A final rule published in the Federal Register on December 29, 2025 revises the long-standing random lottery system used for H-1B cap selection, replacing it with wage-based selection. The rule will take effect on February 27, 2026, and will apply to the Fiscal Year 2027 (“FY2027”) H-1B cap registration season. The lottery selections for FY2027 are made on April 1, 2026.

When the H-1B Is Out of Reach: Hiring Skilled Workers Without the $100,000 Fee

December 1, 2025 Protima Daryanani

Small businesses that rely on specialized talent have long turned to the H-1B visa as the primary route to hire foreign professionals. The new requirement that employers pay a $100,000 fee for many H-1B cases filed after September 21, 2025 has changed that calculation. For large corporations, this new cost may be absorbable but for startups, boutique firms, local clinics, research labs, engineering shops, technology innovators, and other small employers, the fee can make the H-1B category functionally unavailable. Many employers who would ordinarily pursue H-1B sponsorship are now searching for realistic alternatives. This shift does not eliminate the possibility of hiring foreign talent. It does require creative, early planning to determine whether another visa classification aligns with the company’s needs and the candidate’s background. The goal is to match the role, the qualifications, and the business structure to a category that supports employment without triggering the $100,000 H-1B entry fee.

USCIS Reaches Fiscal Year 2026 H-1B CAP

July 21, 2025 Paola Calero

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced on July 18, 2025, they had reached the H-1B Cap for fiscal year 2026. The Service reported having received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated limits for the H-1B visa regular cap, as well as the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap) for FY2026. The agency conducted a single lottery selection from selections that were submitted in March 2025 and will not be conducting any further selection lotteries for FY2026.

For those not selected, remember there may still be hope.

USCIS Reaches Fiscal Year 2025 H-1B CAP

December 3, 2024 Paola Calero

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced on December 2, 2024, they had reached the H-1B Cap for fiscal year 2025. The Service reported having received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated limits for the H-1B visa regular cap, as well as the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap) for FY2025. USCIS will be sending non-selection notices to registrants through their online accounts “over the next few days.”

Employers submitted registrations for 442,000 unique beneficiaries during FY 2025 H-1B cap registration period. USCIS went on to conduct two lottery selections, one in March 2024 and another in August 2024. For those not selected, remember there may still be hope.

The Aftermath of the H-1B Fiscal Year 2025 Visa Lottery: Next Steps and Alternatives

July 31, 2024 Protima Daryanani

In April this year, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced they had received sufficient electronic registrations for unique individuals for the fiscal year 2025 (“FY2025”) cap, including the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap). USCIS randomly selected properly submitted registrations and notified all employers.

Those with selected registrations were able to begin filing H-1B cap subject petitions for FY2025 as of April 1, 2024. The deadline for filing H-1B cap subject petitions online, based on a valid registration selection notice, was June 30, 2024, and paper-based H-1B cap subject petitions had to be received at a USCIS Lockbox Facility by July 1, 2024 (since June 30 was a Sunday).

Time to Get Ready for the H-1B (FY 2021) Cap Season and Prepare for Electronic Registration Starting March 1, 2020

January 30, 2020 Protima Daryanani

New year, new H-1B cap! Now that we have (mostly) recovered from the parties and festivities of the holiday season, it’s time to dive straight into H-1B cap season. In about a month’s time—on March 1, 2020—we will be able to electronically submit H-1B registrations for fiscal year (FY) 2021 for individuals who have never had H-1Bs, commonly referred to as “cap cases.” (Non-cap H-1B petitions, including extensions of existing H-1Bs and change-of-employer H-1B petitions, can be filed throughout the year.) This year is notable since it is the first time that US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) will be using the H-1B electronic registration system on USCIS.gov. Earlier this month, USCIS formally announced the implementation of the electronic H-1B registration process and timeframe.

The Aftermath of the H-1B Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Visa lottery: Next Steps and Alternatives

May 22, 2019 Guest User

US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) have announced the lottery results for this year’s H-1B cap (Fiscal Year 2020) with USCIS reporting that it received 201,011 H-1B petitions. Additionally, the agency announced last week that they completed data entry for all FY 2020 H-1B cap-subject petitions selected (including master’s cap cases), which means they will be sending receipt notices for those cases selected and returning those cases not selected.

H-1B Cap Reached for Fiscal Year 2018

April 7, 2017 Joseph McKeown

US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that they have reached the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa cap numbers for fiscal year 2018. Additionally, USCIS has also received a sufficient number of filed H-1B petitions to meet the 20,000 US advanced degree exemption numbers, also known as the master’s cap. The agency will reject and return filing fees for all unselected cap-subject petitions that are not duplicate filings. The agency did not specify when the H-1B lottery would occur, but in previous years it typically happens within a few weeks of the filing period being closed.