March 31, 2026: USCIS announced it has received enough electronic registrations to reach the fiscal year 2027 H-1B numerical allocations, inclusive of both the bachelor’s and master’s degree caps. See USCIS Press Release: FY 2027 H-1B Initial Registration Selection Process Completed | USCIS.
LAC has notified all selected registrants. Please note that registrations that were not selected reflect a status of “submitted.” The status will remain as “submitted,” indicating the registration remains in the pool in case USCIS advises that additional visa numbers are available for this federal fiscal year. In prior years there have been more than one round of lottery selections if USCIS receives fewer full H-1B petition filings than anticipated, or a larger number of filings are denied than anticipated. If this happens the second round of selections is likely to occur in the July timeframe.
H-1B petitions for selected registrants will be filed with USCIS within the filing window of April 1, 2026 through June 30, 2026. The earliest effective date for approved petitions will be October 1, 2026.
Please see the USCIS Press Release for information regarding new information and documentation required for H-1B petitions this fiscal year.
Please do not hesitate to contact your LAC attorney with any questions.
This update was prepared by Fausta M. Albi, Partner – Larrabee Albi Coker LLP.