The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially announced key details regarding the FY 2026 H-1B cap registration period, which will be open from noon Eastern on March 7, 2025, through noon Eastern on March 24, 2025. If you are an employer or an immigration professional handling H-1B petitions, it is essential to understand the updated registration process, fees, and new system enhancements. Read on and reach out to a New York City immigration lawyer from the Lightman Law Firm to learn about the new registration period and how our firm can assist you. Here are some of the questions you may have:
Who Needs to Register for the FY 2026 H-1B Cap?
Prospective H-1B petitioners and their legal representatives must electronically register each beneficiary via the USCIS online account during the designated period. The registration process determines eligibility for the H-1B visa lottery, which is necessary due to the annual cap on H-1B visa approvals.
What Is the Registration Fee for FY 2026?
Each H-1B beneficiary registration requires a $215 fee. This fee must be paid electronically at the time of submission.
What Is the Beneficiary-Centric Selection Process?
Continuing from changes implemented in FY 2025, USCIS will select registrations based on unique beneficiaries rather than by individual registrations. This means that each beneficiary will only be entered into the lottery once, regardless of how many employers submit registrations on their behalf. This system aims to reduce duplicate entries and create a more equitable selection process.
If the number of unique beneficiary registrations exceeds the annual cap, USCIS will randomly select from the pool of unique beneficiaries. If there are not enough unique registrations to meet the cap, all properly submitted registrations will be selected.
How and When Will Selection Notifications Be Issued?
Once the registration window closes on March 24, 2025, USCIS will begin the random selection process. By March 31, 2025, petitioners and their legal representatives will be notified through their USCIS online accounts if any of their registered beneficiaries were selected. Only those selected can proceed with filing a full H-1B petition.
What Changes Have Been Made to USCIS Online Accounts?
For FY 2026, USCIS has introduced several enhancements to its organizational and representative accounts to streamline the registration process. Key improvements include:
- Paralegal Access Expansion – Paralegals can now work with multiple legal representatives, allowing them to assist multiple attorneys with H-1B registrations, I-129 petitions, and I-907 premium processing requests under one account.
- Simplified Representative-Paralegal Integration – Legal representatives can now add paralegals to their company accounts with greater ease.
- Pre-Populated Form I-129 Fields – Certain fields on Form I-129 (H-1B Petition) will be automatically filled from the selected H-1B registration, reducing manual entry errors.
- Bulk Beneficiary Upload – Users can prepare a spreadsheet of H-1B beneficiary data and upload it to automatically populate H-1B registrations, saving time.
What Are the Updated Payment Limits for H-1B Registration Fees?
To accommodate high transaction volumes, the U.S. Department of Treasury has temporarily increased the daily credit card transaction limit from $24,999.99 to $99,999.99 for the FY 2026 H-1B cap season. If a payment exceeds this amount, employers can use Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfers, but they may need to inform their bank in advance to avoid processing delays.
What Happens If My Beneficiary Is Selected?
If a beneficiary is selected in the H-1B lottery, the petitioning employer must submit a complete H-1B petition (Form I-129) on behalf of the selected individual. It is crucial that only petitioners whose registrations were selected proceed with filing an H-1B petition.
For personalized legal guidance on H-1B petitions, compliance, or visa-related concerns, contact an experienced New York City immigration attorney today.