The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the fiscal year 2026 initial registration period for the H-1B cap will run from noon EST on March 7, 2025, to noon EST on March 24, 2025.

The H-1B program is for employers sponsoring foreign nationals in specialty occupations. A specialty occupation is a position that requires the application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and at least a bachelor’s degree in a directly related specific specialty, or its equivalent, as a minimum requirement for the position. Congress established an annual numerical limit on the number of foreign national workers that can obtain an H-1B visa. Of the total 85,000 H-1B visas available annually, 65,000 are designated for the regular cap and an additional 20,000 are reserved for foreign nationals with a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. non-profit college or university.

Employers can register as many candidates as they wish but each candidate can only be entered by the same employer one time. The registration fee is $215.00 per applicant. This fee increased from prior years when the cost of registration was only $10.00 per applicant.

USCIS has stated that it plans to notify employers by March 31, 2025 for accounts that have at least one registration selected. An employer can move forward with filing an H-1B I-129, Nonimmigrant Petition for any of its selected registrants.

Which employers are exempt from the online registration system?

Employers that are exempt from the H-1B numerical limit can bypass the registration system and file H-1B petitions for as many candidates as they want at any time throughout the year, including institutions of higher education, nonprofits affiliated or related to institutions of higher education, nonprofit research organizations and government research organizations.

What now?

Following this announcement, cap-subject employers can plan by reviewing workforce needs and identifying current and prospective employees that may need H-1B sponsorship.

Our skilled immigration team is available to address questions regarding the H-1B visa, the H-1B registration and selection system and how to create an online USCIS account to submit registrations.