Client Alert: USCIS Registration Period for the H-1B cap period for FY 2027 is open from 12pm EST March 4, 2026 to 12pm EST March 19, 2026.

Employers seeking to submit H-1B applications on behalf of their employees will need to register each beneficiary through the USCIS online system from 12pm March 4, 2026 to 12pm March 19, 2026. There is a $215 fee for every registered beneficiary. 

Additionally, the USCIS announced new procedures for the FY 2027 Cap Season. 

“The new H-1B selection process prioritizes allocating visas to higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens to better protect the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities of American workers” (USCIS).

From President Trump’s “Proclamation, Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,” issued September 2025, the procedure is as follows: “...if a petitioner has their registration selected and is eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition, they may need to pay an additional $100,000 fee before filing the H-1B petition as a condition of eligibility” (USCIS).

Sources:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Messages