USCIS Completes FY 2027 H-1B Cap Selections and Opens Door to Petition Filing
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said on March 31, 2026, that it has wrapped up the first selection round for fiscal year 2027 H-1B cap registrations and that enough properly submitted entries for distinct beneficiaries were available to account for the annual numerical limit, including the separate pool commonly described as the master’s cap.
In the same announcement, the agency stated that it has informed prospective petitioners whose registrations were chosen that they may move forward with cap-subject H-1B petitions for those beneficiaries. Status updates appear in USCIS online accounts, and the agency directs readers to its H-1B electronic registration overview for broader procedural context.
According to USCIS, the earliest date to file FY 2027 cap-subject petitions—including those that qualify for the advanced-degree exemption—is April 1, 2026, and filing is limited to cases grounded in a selected registration that remains valid. Petitions must go to the correct filing location or be submitted through the agency’s online filing environment as instructed on the selection notice, and the notice will identify a filing period of no fewer than 90 days. A copy of the applicable selection notice must accompany the petition.
The agency also said that a revised Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, dated Feb. 27, 2026, took effect on that date. Starting April 1, USCIS will accept only that edition for FY 2027 cap-subject H-1B filings, so employers and counsel need to confirm they are using the current form version before assembly and submission.
USCIS emphasized that a cap petition should match the identifying and job details tied to the selected registration. Filers must present evidence of the beneficiary’s valid passport or travel document as it was provided at registration, along with documentation that supports the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics wage level indicated when the underlying registration was submitted. The agency’s H-1B cap season materials include additional filing guidance.
Separately, the March 31 notice references a presidential proclamation concerning restrictions on entry for certain nonimmigrant workers. USCIS states that some H-1B petitions filed on or after 12:01 a.m. Eastern on Sept. 21, 2025, must include an additional $100,000 payment as a condition of eligibility under that policy. Employers who may be affected should review the proclamation section on USCIS’s H-1B specialty occupations page, because requirements can depend on facts specific to each case.
The selection cycle for FY 2027 unfolded after an initial registration window that USCIS had scheduled from noon Eastern on March 4 through 5:00 p.m. Eastern on March 19, 2026, with a $215 registration fee per beneficiary. For this season, a Department of Homeland Security final rule published in the Federal Register on Dec. 29, 2025, set a weighted selection framework for unique beneficiaries—effective Feb. 27, 2026—that takes into account the highest OEWS wage level the offered pay meets or exceeds for the relevant occupation and work location. USCIS’s registration page explains that when selections are needed, the agency applies that weighted approach among properly submitted registrations.
What's Next / Context
The H-1B program remains a main legal channel for U.S. organizations to staff specialty occupations that normally require a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. Because demand has long exceeded the statutory caps, registration and selection steps effectively gate who may file a cap petition each year. For FY 2027, finishing the initial selection means many employers will pivot from monitoring account statuses to assembling I-129 packages, validating wage documentation, and confirming compliance with any parallel requirements such as the proclamation-related payment rule where it applies.
Registration and selection alone do not guarantee approval; USCIS notes that petitioners must still satisfy all standard eligibility and evidence rules in the form instructions. For workers and companies that were not selected in the first round, registrations that remain in “Submitted” status can, under agency policy described on the registration page, stay in the pool for possible later selections if the cap is not exhausted through initial filings. Anyone relying on this summary should verify dates, fees, and procedures on the official USCIS alert and registration pages, because operational details can be updated.
