The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially announced the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 H-1B cap, which will begin at noon Eastern on March 7, 2025, and will close at noon Eastern on March 24, 2025. Prospective H-1B petitioners and their representatives must register each beneficiary electronically using a USCIS online account and submit the associated $215 registration fee per beneficiary.
Who Needs to Register?
Prospective employers or their authorized representatives must have a USCIS organizational account to participate in the electronic registration process. If an employer previously held an H-1B registrant account from FY 2021 to FY 2024 but did not use it in FY 2025, the system will automatically convert the existing account to an organizational account upon their next login. First-time registrants can create their accounts at any time.
For additional guidance, USCIS has provided step-by-step instructional videos on the Organizational Accounts Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page. The FAQs will be updated with FY 2026-specific details before the registration period starts.
Beneficiary-Centric Selection Process Continues
As introduced in FY 2025, the H-1B selection process will continue to use a beneficiary-centric approach. Under this system:
- USCIS will select registrations by unique beneficiary rather than by registration.
- If the number of unique beneficiaries registered by March 24 is sufficient, USCIS will randomly select from them.
- If the number of unique beneficiaries is insufficient, all properly submitted registrations will be selected.
- Selection notifications will be sent via USCIS online accounts by March 31, 2025.
Temporary Increase in Credit Card Transaction Limits
To accommodate the high volume of H-1B registrations, the U.S. Department of Treasury has temporarily increased the daily credit card transaction limit from $24,999.99 to $99,999.99 per day for the FY 2026 H-1B cap season. Transactions exceeding $99,999.99 can be processed via Automated Clearing House (ACH). USCIS advises employers using ACH to check with their banks in advance to prevent any processing issues.
Organizational Account Enhancements for FY 2026
USCIS has made several enhancements to the H-1B organizational and representative accounts to improve user experience:
- Paralegals can now work with multiple legal representatives, enabling them to manage H-1B registrations, Form I-129 petitions, and Form I-907 requests for premium processing across different attorneys.
- Legal representatives can easily add paralegals to company client accounts.
- Pre-population of certain Form I-129 fields from selected H-1B registrations to streamline application processes.
- A bulk upload feature allowing petitioners to prepare and upload spreadsheets containing H-1B beneficiary data, reducing manual entry errors.
These enhancements will be available before the start of the initial registration period.
Looking Ahead – H-1B Visa Cap Registration for FY 2026 Begins on March 7
As USCIS moves forward with the FY 2026 H-1B cap season, employers and representatives should prepare by creating or updating their organizational accounts, reviewing the new enhancements, and planning payment methods for registrations. The continued use of a beneficiary-centric selection process aims to provide a fairer and more transparent lottery system. Stay tuned for further updates from USCIS as the registration period approaches.
To stay updated and informed, watch our news section or drop your immigration queries on immigrationquestion.com and get responses from professional attorneys.
