USCIS completes H-1B cap selection process for FY 2027

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it has met the annual quota of 85,000 H-1B cap beneficiaries for FY-2027 and completed the regular and advanced-degree selection lotteries.

The agency said it had notified all prospective petitioners with selected beneficiaries that they are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for those beneficiaries.

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The H-1B visa programme is used largely by U.S. technology companies to hire foreign workers. Indian professionals, including tech workers and physicians, form one of the largest groups of H-1B visa holders.

“H-1B cap-subject petitions for FY 2027, including those petitions eligible for the advanced degree exemption, may be filed with USCIS beginning April 1, 2026, if filed for a selected beneficiary and based on a valid registration,” a USCIS statement said on Tuesday (March 31, 2026).

It said the period for filing the H-1B cap-subject petition will be at least 90 days and asked petitioners to include a copy of the applicable selection notice with the FY 2027 H-1B cap-subject petition.

The USCIS said it would accept the new edition of the I-129 form that was published on February 27 this year.

The H-1B selection process is shifting to a wage-based model, where applicants with higher salaries and skills are given priority. The change is aimed at aligning visa allocation with labour market needs and reducing misuse of the system.

The changes also include a significant fee component introduced earlier, where a $100,000 charge applies in certain cases when employers sponsor workers from outside the United States.

The measure is intended to reduce reliance on overseas hiring and encourage domestic recruitment.

The U.S. Congress has set the current annual regular cap for the H-1B category at 65,000. An additional 20,000 petitions filed on behalf of beneficiaries who have earned a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. institution of higher education are exempt from the cap.

The USCIS said an H-1B cap petition filed on behalf of a beneficiary must contain and be supported by the same identifying information and position information as the selected registration.

It also asked petitioners to submit evidence of the beneficiary’s valid passport or travel document used at the time of registration to identify the beneficiary and evidence of the basis of the wage level selected on the registration as of the date that the registration underlying the petition was submitted.