The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 H-1B cap will be open from 12pm EST on March 7, 2025, through 12pm EST on March 24, 2025.
H-1B status allows foreign nationals to temporarily work for U.S. employers in a position that requires a bachelor’s degree or above. Congress has set a mandated cap of 65,000 H-1B visas per year, with 20,000 additional H-1B visas for professionals who have obtained a master’s degree or higher from an accredited U.S. institution. Due to the limited number of visas, USCIS has implemented an annual H-1B registration process to randomly select beneficiaries who may then file a new H-1B cap-subject petition if selected. Employers must submit an H-1B registration for any foreign national workers they wish to sponsor for H-1B status. The registration process is simple and relatively inexpensive, requiring basic information from both the employer and the foreign national worker.
This year, the H-1B registration fee has increased to $215 per registration. USCIS will also maintain the beneficiary-centric selection process that was introduced for the FY 2025 registration.
Employers should now review their employment needs and identify any current or prospective foreign national workers they may want to sponsor and submit a registration on their behalf. Please keep in mind, the registration process only occurs once per year. A final decision on sponsorship can be made after selections are completed. Common situations in which you should consider registering a foreign national worker for the H-1B cap include:
- Recent graduates who have obtained a bachelor’s or master’s degree now working pursuant to CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT (F-1 status) employment authorization. Even if they have a year or two of work authorization remaining, we recommend applying each year to increase the chances of selection.
- Employees in other non-immigrant statuses (e.g., H-4, TN, L-1, O-1, etc.) who wish to change their status to H-1B.
- Individuals you are thinking about hiring or transferring to the U.S., even if you have been considering other visa options, such as TN, L-1, O-1, etc.
- Any other potential hires or former employees you may want to rehire.
Employers will need a myUSCIS organizational account to complete the registration. If you submitted a registration in 2024, no updates are required. However, if you did not use an online account in 2024 but submitted a registration between 2020-2023, your account will be converted to an organizational account the next time you log-in. If you have never created a myUSCIS account, you must set one up before registering.
Registration selections are announced after the registration period closes, usually by March 31st. If your registration is selected, then you will have the opportunity to submit an H-1B petition for the foreign national worker within the designated timeframe. However, you are not required to file an H-1B petition if your registration is selected.
For more information or assistance with the H-1B registration process, please contact our experienced immigration attorneys in our Immigration Law Practice Group.