During this period, prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners and their representatives must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the $215 H-1B registration fee per registration.

USCIS issued a statement advising employers: "If you are an H-1B petitioning employer who does not have a USCIS online account, you must create an organizational account. Representatives may add company clients to their accounts at any time, but both representatives and employers must wait until March 4 to enter beneficiary information, submit registrations, and pay the associated $215 fee."

Selections will take place after the initial registration period closes. USCIS intends to send selection notifications by March 31, 2026, via users’ online accounts to petitioners and representatives with at least one registration selected.

A petitioner may only file an H-1B cap-subject petition—including one for a beneficiary eligible for the advanced degree exemption—if their registration for the beneficiary is selected in the H-1B registration process.

New Features for the FY 2027 Cap Season

The Department of Homeland Security recently published a final rule amending regulations governing how USCIS selects H-1B registrations for unique beneficiaries.

The revised process prioritizes higher-skilled and higher-paid applicants to better protect the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities of American workers.

USCIS stated: "For the FY 2027 H-1B cap season, if we receive registrations for unique beneficiaries during the initial registration period that exceed the cap, we will conduct a weighted selection from unique beneficiaries with properly submitted registrations. If we do not receive registrations for enough unique beneficiaries, we will select all properly submitted registrations."

The agency emphasized that only properly registered unique beneficiaries are eligible to file H-1B cap-subject petitions.

On September 19, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation restricting the entry of certain nonimmigrant workers, an initial step to reform the H-1B visa program.

While the proclamation does not directly affect the electronic registration process, petitioners whose registrations are selected may be required to pay an additional $100,000 fee before filing the H-1B petition as a condition of eligibility.