The initial registration period for the H-1B visa cap for the fiscal year 2026 will begin on March 7, 2025, and will continue until March 24, 2025, as announced by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). U.S. employers seeking to hire skilled foreign workers in fields like IT, healthcare, and engineering must complete the registration process within this timeframe.
Key Changes in H-1B Registration
USCIS has introduced significant changes, including a substantial fee increase and a beneficiary-centric selection process. Applicants must create a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically and pay the H-1B registration fee for each applicant.
Important Details About H-1B Visa Registration
- Employers must register each beneficiary electronically using the USCIS online account.
- The H-1B registration fee has increased from $10 to $215 per beneficiary (₹18,730.84 as per today’s exchange rate).
- Employers who do not have a USCIS online account must create an organizational account.
- If an employer had an H-1B registrant account from FY 2021 to FY 2024 but did not use it in FY 2025, their account will automatically convert into an organizational account upon login.
- First-time registrants can create an account anytime, while representatives can start adding beneficiaries and submitting $215 registration fees from March 7.
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Beneficiary-Centric Selection Process
The H-1B cap for FY 2026 will use a beneficiary-centric selection process. This means that selection will not be based on the number of registrations but rather on unique beneficiaries.
- If enough unique beneficiaries are registered by March 24, USCIS will conduct a random selection among them.
- Selected applicants will receive selection notifications through their USCIS online accounts.
Basic Information Required
Employers looking to sponsor H-1B employees must complete the registration process by providing basic details of the employer and each beneficiary.
- The initial registration period lasts 14 days each fiscal year.
- Only selected registrants will be eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition.
Increased Credit Card Transaction Limit
For the FY 2026 H-1B cap season, the U.S. Treasury Department has temporarily raised the daily credit card transaction limit from $24,999.99 to $99,999.99. Transactions above $99,999.99 must be processed through the Automated Clearing House (ACH).
- Only employers whose beneficiary is selected in the H-1B registration process can file an H-1B cap-subject petition.
- This applies to beneficiaries eligible for the advanced degree exemption.
Paralegals and Legal Representatives
- Paralegals will be allowed to work with multiple legal representatives for H-1B applications in FY 2026.
- A paralegal can accept invitations from different legal representative accounts.
- This will allow legal representative accounts to prepare H-1B registrations, Form I-129 H-1B petitions, and Form I-907 within a single paralegal account.
USCIS Notification on March 31
If fewer unique beneficiaries are registered, USCIS will select all properly submitted registrations. On March 31, 2025, USCIS will notify petitioners and legal representatives whose accounts contain at least one selected registration.
Fraud Prevention Measures
On January 30, 2024, USCIS issued a final rule to reduce fraud risks in the H-1B registration process and ensure equal selection opportunities for all beneficiaries.