The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the initial registration period for the FY 2026 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 7, 2025, and run through noon Eastern on March 24, 2025.

All prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners and their representatives must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically and pay the $215 registration fee per beneficiary.

USCIS will continue using the beneficiary-centric selection process introduced in FY 2025. If sufficient registrations for unique beneficiaries are received by March 24, USCIS will randomly select unique beneficiaries and send selection notifications via users’ USCIS online accounts. If fewer than the required registrations are received, all properly submitted registrations for unique beneficiaries will be automatically selected.

Prospective petitioners and representatives with at least one selected registration can expect to receive notification by March 31, 2025.

Employers planning to sponsor H-1B workers should prepare USCIS online accounts in advance and ensure timely registration within the designated period. For further details, including step-by-step guidance on organizational accounts, visit the USCIS Organizational Accounts FAQ page https://www.uscis.gov/organizational-accounts-FAQ.

For more information or assistance regarding H-1b registration and visa application processes, please contact our immigration attorneys.