2026 H-1B cap will open at noon EST on March 7

Highlights: USCIS Announces H-1B Cap Registration Period

• USCIS has released the date for FY 2026 H-1B cap registrations.
• The H-1B cap for Fiscal year 2026 will open on March 7 at EST noon until March 24, 2025.
• Representatives and petitioners can use the online USCIS account to register for the selection process.
• Applicants must pay $215 as the H-1B registration fee to register for the selection process.

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H-1B Cap for FY 2026 to Open on March 7

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released the official date of H-1B registrations. The online registrations for the H-1b visa for the Fiscal year 2026 will be made viable on March 7, 2025, at Eastern Standard Time (EST) noon and will be open until March 24, 2025. Petitioners and their representatives can register during this period through the online USCIS account. The petitioner or their representative must pay the registration fee of $215 to register for the selection process.
 

The 2026 Fiscal Year H-1B cap will follow a beneficiary-centric selection process that came into effect this year. A unique beneficiary method will be followed for the H-1B selection process.  Selected beneficiaries will receive online notifications of their USCIS accounts. The department plans to notify all the selected petitioners and representatives by March 31, 2025. Individuals who are registering for the first time can create a new account.
 

The H-1B petitioning recruiter or employer who does not have an online USCIS account will be required to create an organizational account. H-1B petitioning employers with an old H-1B registrant account that was for FY 2021 – FY 2024 but remained unused for FY 2025 will be changed to an organizational account upon logging in.

 

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