USCIS will open the FY 2027 H-1B lottery electronic registration period on March 4, 2026. Employers will have until March 19 to submit electronic registrations using their USCIS online accounts and pay the $215 registration fee per beneficiary. USCIS is expected to send out selection notices by March 31, 2026.
Under USCIS’ new weighted selection rule, employers will receive more lottery entries for higher-paid positions: Level IV lottery registrants get four lottery entries, Level III get three entries, Level II get two entries, and Level I get one entry. The policy is designed to prioritize higher-paid, higher-skilled workers in the H-1B lottery while preserving some access for all wage levels.
Workers selected in the lottery also may be subject to a $100,000 fee if they are hired from outside the United States. The $100,000 fee does not apply to H-1B petitioners who are already in the United States seeking change of status, extensions, or amendments.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit membership association, can read more here.