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H-1B Cap registration for FY 2026 opens on March 7
The FY 2026 H-1B cap will continue to use the beneficiary-centric selection process, which was introduced in FY 2025.
The FY 2026 H-1B cap will continue to use the beneficiary-centric selection process, which was introduced in FY 2025.. / USCIS
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the opening of the initial registration period for the fiscal year 2026 H-1B cap. The registration period will begin at noon Eastern Time on Mar.7, 2025, and close at noon Eastern Time on Mar.24, 2025. During this window, prospective petitioners and their representatives are required to use a USCIS online account to electronically register each beneficiary and pay the associated $215 registration fee.
USCIS has specified that prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners or their representatives must complete the registration electronically for each beneficiary during this period. "Prospective petitioners and their representatives must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process," the agency stated.
For petitioners who do not yet have a USCIS online account, the agency advises creating an organizational account. Employers who previously had an H-1B registrant account for the FY 2021 to FY 2024 registration seasons but did not use it for FY 2025 will find that their accounts are automatically converted to organizational accounts after their next login. First-time registrants may create an account at any time. Further details and resources on organizational accounts, including step-by-step video guides, will be available on the Organizational Accounts Frequently Asked Questions page, which will be updated before the start of the registration period.
Representatives may add clients to their accounts at any time; however, both representatives and registrants must wait until Mar.7 to enter beneficiary details and submit the registration with the required fee. "Selections take place after the initial registration period closes, so there is no requirement to register on the day the initial registration period opens," USCIS clarified.
The FY 2026 H-1B cap will continue to use the beneficiary-centric selection process, which was introduced in FY 2025. Under this process, registrations are selected based on unique beneficiaries rather than by individual registration. If USCIS receives enough registrations for unique beneficiaries by the March 24 deadline, a random selection process will occur, and notifications will be sent via USCIS online accounts. Selections will be announced by March 31, 2025.
In response to previous high volumes of H-1B registrations, the U.S. Department of Treasury has approved a temporary increase in the daily credit card transaction limit for H-1B registration payments. The new limit, effective for the FY 2026 season, will be $99,999.99 per day, up from the previous limit of $24,999.99. "Transactions exceeding $99,999.99 may be made via Automated Clearing House (ACH)," USCIS stated. Payors may need to contact their bank in advance to remove any ACH blocks on their accounts.
It is important to note that an H-1B petition, including petitions for beneficiaries eligible for the advanced degree exemption, can only be filed by a petitioner whose registration for the beneficiary was selected during the H-1B registration process.
Additionally, USCIS has announced several enhancements for organizational and representative accounts for FY 2026. These improvements include the ability for paralegals to work with multiple legal representatives and tools to pre-populate certain Form I-129 fields from selected H-1B registrations. "These enhancements will be live before the start of the initial registration period," USCIS confirmed.
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