Immigration

United States | H-1B cap initial registration period opens on March 4

Summary

USCIS announced that the FY 2027 H-1B cap initial registration period will open on March 4, 2026, and will close on March 19, 2026, requiring employers to submit registrations through their USCIS online accounts with a $215 fee per beneficiary. The beneficiary-centric selection process will continue, meaning each beneficiary will be counted only once in the lottery, regardless of how many employers submit registration on their behalf.

The detail

The H-1B cap registration will be conducted electronically through the USCIS online portal.

Employers and their representatives must submit registrations within the designated window—March 4, 2026, to March 19, 2026—as late submissions will not be accepted. Employers should ensure they have a USCIS online account well in advance to avoid last-minute delays. You can find additional information and resources on the organizational accounts on the Organizational Accounts Frequently Asked Questions page.

For FY 2027, USCIS has implemented several updates. These updates include:

• New weighted selection process
  • Moving away from the traditional random lottery, USCIS will implement a weighted selection system for the FY 2027 Cap. This rule prioritizes beneficiaries offered higher wages relative to the prevailing wage for their specific occupation and geographic location. As such, a beneficiary whose wage corresponds to level IV or higher in the OEWS wage structure will be entered in the Cap pool 4 times; a beneficiary whose wage corresponds to level III in the OEWS wage structure will be entered in the Cap pool 3 times; a beneficiary whose wage corresponds to level II in the OEWS wage structure will be entered in the Cap pool 2 times; and a beneficiary whose wage corresponds to level I in the OEWS wage structure will be entered in the Cap pool 1 time.
• Increased registration fee
  • The non-refundable fee for each electronic registration is $215 per beneficiary (an increase from previous years). This fee must be paid at the time of registration via the USCIS online organizational account.
• Presidential proclamation: the $100,000 fee
  • Pursuant to the Presidential Proclamation issued in September 2025, a new $100,000 fee may apply to certain H-1B petitions.
    • Applicability: this fee generally applies to new H-1B petitions for beneficiaries who are currently outside the United States and require consular processing.
    • Exemptions: petitions filed as a “change of status” for beneficiaries already legally in the U.S. (e.g., F-1 students) are currently expected to be exempt from this specific supplemental fee.

Contact us

For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:

Manish Daftari
Partner

Want to know when a Regional Alert is posted?

Simply follow our Vialto Alerts page on LinkedIn and posts will be displayed on your feed. To ensure you don’t miss one, once you’re on our LinkedIn page, click on the bell icon under the banner image to manage your notifications.

Further information on Vialto Partners can be found here: www.vialtopartners.com

Vialto Partners (“Vialto”) refers to wholly owned subsidiaries of CD&R Galaxy UK OpCo Limited as well as the other members of the Vialto Partners global network. The information contained in this document is for general guidance on matters of interest only. Vialto is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will Vialto, its related entities, or the agents or employees thereof be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this document or for any consequential, special or similar damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

© 2026 Vialto Partners. All rights reserved.