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H-1B cap season 2027 registration to open for 15 days: A quick guide on key dates and new ‘weighted selection’ rule
The H-1B cap season 2027 registration opens March 4 and closes March 19, 2026. Employers must register online and pay a $215 fee.
The commencement date for the H-1B cap season 2027 is approaching. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the opening and closing dates for the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2027 H-1B cap season.
The registration for the H-1B cap season 2027 will begin at noon Eastern Time on March 4, and the final date for submitting registrations for the H-1B cap season 2027 will conclude at noon Eastern on March 19, 2026.
Selections will commence following the closure of the initial registration period for the H-1B cap season 2027 on March 19. USCIS will notify prospective petitioners and their representatives of any selected registrations through their USCIS online accounts by March 3.
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H-1B visa 2027 registration: Key details here
From March 4 to March 19, prospective petitioners and representatives subject to the H-1B cap must utilize a USCIS online account to electronically register each beneficiary for the selection process and remit the requisite $215 H-1B registration fee for each registration.
Employers petitioning for H-1B visas who do not possess a USCIS online account are mandated to establish an organizational account. Representatives are permitted to add their company clients to their accounts at any time. However, both representatives and employers must wait until March 4 to input beneficiary details and submit registrations along with the $215 fee.
A petitioner is only allowed to file an H-1B cap-subject petition, including petitions for beneficiaries eligible for the advanced degree exemption, if their registration for the beneficiary of the cap-subject petition has been selected in the H-1B registration process.
The initial registration period lasts for a minimum of 14 calendar days each fiscal year. For the H-1B cap season 2027, the initial registration period will be available for 15 days. Trump administration has introduced two new regulations in the FY 2027 Cap Season – the revised H-1B selection process and the $100,000 petition fee.
New ‘weighted selection’ rule
The final rule that enacts the weighted H-1B cap selection procedure, which will take effect on February 27, 2026, is set to be applicable for the fiscal year 2027 cap season.
“For the FY 2027 H-1B cap season, if we receive registrations for unique beneficiaries during the initial registration period that exceed the cap, we will conduct a weighted selection from the unique beneficiaries with properly submitted registrations. If we do not receive registrations for enough unique beneficiaries, we will select all registrations for unique beneficiaries that were properly submitted in the initial registration period," the USCIS stated.
All on H-1B visa $100K fee
In accordance with the directive outlined in the H-1B proclamation, the announcement states that “if a petitioner has their registration selected and is eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition, they may need to pay an additional $100,000 fee before filing the H-1B petition as a condition of eligibility."
