KEY DATES:
March 7 to March 24, 2025: Registrations for individual beneficiaries (employees) may be submitted
March 25 to March 31, 2025: USCIS will conduct lottery and notify account holders of selections
FY 2026 H-1B Cap Initial Registration Period
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the initial registration period for the FY 2026 H-1B cap will open at 9 am Pacific on March 7, 2025, and run through 9 am Pacific on March 24, 2025. During this period, prospective petitioners and their representatives, if applicable, must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated registration fee for each beneficiary.
USCIS will continue to utilize a beneficiary-centric system to ensure all beneficiaries have the same chance of selection. For the FY2026 registration period, USCIS has increased the registration fee to $215 per applicant. The increase reflects the USCIS’ efforts to cover increasing administrative costs.
Additional Information: https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/fy-2026-h-1b-cap-initial-registration-period-opens-on-march-7