FY 2026 H-1B Cap: USCIS Announces the Completion of Selection Process
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has concluded the initial selection process for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 H-1B program. This process determines which foreign workers can be sponsored by U.S. employers under the H-1B visa category.
On March 31, 2025, USCIS announced that it had received a sufficient number of electronic registrations to meet the annual cap of 85,000 H-1B visas for FY 2026, which includes 65,000 regular visas and 20,000 for individuals with advanced degrees from U.S. institutions. Employers and their representatives have been notified about the selection results. They can check the status of their registrations through their USCIS online accounts. For those selected, the window to file complete H-1B petitions opens on April 1, 2025, and will remain open for at least 90 days. Petitions must be filed within this period to be considered. Approved H-1B petitions will allow beneficiaries to begin employment no earlier than October 1, 2025.
If, by June 30, 2025, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determines that it has not received enough H-1B cap petitions to meet the annual limit of 85,000 visas, it may conduct additional lottery selections from the pool of properly submitted registrations. In the previous fiscal year, USCIS conducted multiple selections to reach the cap. Specifically, USCIS conducted two selection rounds in FY 2025 and also two selection rounds in FY 2024. However, in FY 2023, USCIS only held one selection round.
It's important for employers and beneficiaries to remain attentive to any updates from USCIS regarding potential subsequent selections. We will closely monitor any policy updates in the FY 2026 CAP season.
