US H1B Visa Registration: Dates, fees and new USCIS selection process explained

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year 2027 H-1B visa cap will open on March 4 at noon Eastern Time and close on March 19 at noon Eastern Time.

During this window, employers seeking to hire foreign workers under the H-1B cap must register each beneficiary electronically through a USCIS online account. A registration fee of $215 will be required for every beneficiary entry. USCIS said it plans to notify selected registrants by March 31 through its online system.

USCIS has reiterated that electronic registration is mandatory for all H-1B cap-subject petitions. Employers that do not already have a USCIS online account will need to create an organisational account before submitting registrations. Legal representatives may add employer clients at any time, but beneficiary information and payment can only be submitted once the registration period officially opens.

Selections will be conducted after the registration window closes, and only employers with selected registrations will be eligible to file full H-1B petitions.

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For the FY 2027 cap season, the Department of Homeland Security has introduced changes to how registrations are selected. USCIS said the updated process is designed to prioritise unique beneficiaries and allocate visas in a way that favours higher-skilled and higher-paid applicants. The agency said the aim is to better protect wages, working conditions and employment opportunities for US workers.

If the number of registrations exceeds the annual H-1B cap, USCIS will carry out a weighted selection from properly submitted registrations rather than a purely random lottery.

USCIS also referenced a September 2025 presidential proclamation titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers.” While the proclamation does not alter the electronic registration process itself, employers with selected registrations may be required to pay an additional fee of up to $100,000 before filing an H-1B petition, depending on eligibility criteria.

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The H-1B programme allows US employers to temporarily employ foreign professionals in specialty occupations that typically require specialised knowledge and at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

With new fees and revised selection rules now in place, employers and prospective applicants are expected to plan carefully ahead of the March registration deadline.