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It is that time of year again! The registration window for the fiscal year 2026 cap H-1B season will open at noon Eastern on March 7, 2025, and run through noon Eastern on March 24, 2025. During the registration period, prospective employer petitioners will provide USCIS with employer and prospective beneficiary employee information in order to have the chance to file an H-1B visa petition for the named beneficiary reflected in the registration. Prospective petitioners will be required to create and use a myUSCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the H-1B visa petition selection process and will be required to pay a non-refundable registration fee for each beneficiary registration. This year, the cap registration fee will increase from $10 to $215 per registration.

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After the registration period closes, if more than 85,000 registrations were received, USCIS will run a lottery to select those registrants who be given an H-1B number. The lottery is typically run on or around April 1st. If selected in the lottery, the petitioner would then file an H-1B petition on behalf of the individual between April 1st and June 30th. Assuming the H-1B is approved, the H-1B would be effective October 1, 2025.

Every year there are a large number of H-1B applications that do not get selected in the lottery process. If you happen to be part of this unlucky group, all is not lost. Although many foreign nationals rely on the H-1B status to temporarily live and work in the United States, there are alternative options to consider if not selected in the H-1B lottery. Depending on the specific circumstances, cap H-1B registrants may still have options to continue living and working in the United States. Now is the time to consider the unique facts and circumstances of each individual’s case to assess viable options for those registrants not selected in the H-1B lottery.

USCIS Announces Cap H-1B Registration Dates & Changes to Program

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