The H-1B visa cap registration period for fiscal year 2026 opens on March 7 and closes on March 24. Sponsoring employers will face a higher E-registration fee of $215 per beneficiary, a significant increase from the previous $10.
This fee hike, along with the beneficiary-centric registration-selection process, aims to enhance the integrity of the H-1B cap visa system.
The Biden administration introduced these measures.
Under the beneficiary-centric system, each individual is entered into the selection process only once, regardless of how many registrations are submitted on their behalf. A valid passport or travel document acts as the unique identifier.
This approach prevents manipulation of the lottery system by entities filing multiple registrations for the same individual without valid job offers.
In fiscal year 2025, the number of eligible registrations for H-1B visas was 470,342, a 38.6% decrease from the previous year, indicating that the beneficiary-centric registration and selection process has curbed abuse.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) anticipates receiving a significantly higher number of registrations than the annual quota of 85,000, which includes 20,000 for those with a Master’s degree. Following the registration period, USCIS will conduct a lottery to select enough beneficiaries to meet the annual cap. A second lottery will be conducted from the pool of U.S. advanced degree holders not initially selected.
U.S. employers will likely be notified of selected beneficiaries by the end of March. Afterward, they must submit comprehensive H-1B cap visa applications with the required fees. In previous years, USCIS has sometimes conducted a second lottery to meet the annual cap if initial selections are not fully utilized.
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