H-1B hub
Live countdowns for the cap cycle, a calculator that turns your actual job offer into lottery odds under the new weighted selection, and a plan for the cycles after this one.
Facts as of 2026-07-07 · wage data: BLS OEWS May 2025. Sources at the foot of this page.
Your job offer → your lottery odds
Since FY2027 the lottery is weighted: an offer at OEWS wage Level IV gets 4 entries, Level I gets 1. Enter your offer to estimate your wage level and what it means for your chances — then see what a raise, a U.S. master's, or another cycle would change.
The long game: how many shots do you get?
Most F-1 STEM graduates get about three registration windows (12 months of OPT + a 24-month STEM extension), and cap-gap protection now runs to April 1. Odds compound across cycles — and rise again if experience moves you up a wage level.
Climbs one level per cycle from your second registration, up to your pick (and never past Level IV) — each cycle row below shows the level it was scored at.
Method: your offer is placed on the OEWS national percentile curve for the occupation (BLS May 2025 — the vintage DOL's July 2026–June 2027 prevailing-wage year is built from) to estimate its OFLC wage level (levels sit at the 17th/34th/50th/67th percentiles). Selection is modelled as USCIS describes it: every unique person enters once per level weight, the regular allocation is drawn first, then unselected U.S.-advanced-degree holders compete for the reserved 20,000; sampling without replacement is solved exactly rather than simulated. The same engine reproduces DHS's published Monte Carlo results (final rule, Table 13) within ~1% at every level — the build refuses to ship otherwise. Wage levels are metro-specific: the national estimate here can differ from your worksite's FLAG value, so check it. None of this is legal advice.
How the weighted lottery actually works
FY2027 was the first cap season run under the weighted selection rule: registrations are weighted by the OES wage level of the offered position (Level I = 1 entry up to Level IV = 4 entries), so higher-paid offers had proportionally better odds.
Levels are percentiles, not job titles
DOL sets four prevailing-wage levels per occupation per metro: Level I at the 17th percentile of local wages, II at the 34th, III at the 50th, IV at the 67th. Your registration's level is the highest one your offered wage meets for your worksite.
Multiple employers can't stack entries
If more than one employer registers the same person at different wage levels, USCIS enters that person at the LOWEST of those levels — extra registrations cannot be used to buy extra weight. An offer below the Level I prevailing wage can still be registered (with a supporting alternative wage source); it does not receive more than one entry. This page treats below-Level-I offers as Level I for odds purposes.
DHS's own numbers (final rule, Table 13)
| Wage level | Est. people in pool | Old random rate | Weighted (simple) | Weighted (DHS simulation) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level I (17th pctile · 1 entry) | 89,911 | 29.6% | 15.3% | 17.1% |
| Level II (34th pctile · 2 entries) | 177,216 | 29.6% | 30.6% | 31.1% |
| Level III (50th pctile · 3 entries) | 37,928 | 29.6% | 45.9% | 42.8% |
| Level IV (67th pctile · 4 entries) | 15,657 | 29.6% | 61.2% | 52.6% |
DHS estimates from FY2020–24 LCA data at 94,900 selections; the simulation column accounts for people being selected at most once. As of 2026-07-07.
For comparison: the old flat lottery
For comparison, the FY2026 (flat lottery) selection rate was roughly 35% for a single registration; no second FY2026 lottery was run.
The pool your odds swim in
Registrations collapsed after FY2024: beneficiary-centric selection killed duplicate-registration gaming (FY2025), the fee rose to $215 (FY2026), and the weighted rule plus the $100,000 proclamation reshaped FY2027 incentives. Fewer registrations = better odds for everyone still in.
Eligible registrations per USCIS; "selected" is selections ÷ eligible registrations for that year (FY2026: 118,660 of 336,153 unique people = 35.3%). USCIS registration statistics. "eligible" = registrations passing dedup/payment checks; FY2026 adds unique-beneficiary counts (beneficiary-centric selection began FY2025). FY2027 totals had not been published when this page was last updated. As of 2026-07-07.
Three things that can move your plan
The $100,000 proclamation
Presidential Proclamation 10973 (Sept 19, 2025) requires a $100,000 payment with certain NEW H-1B petitions for beneficiaries who are outside the U.S. without a valid H-1B visa; petitions filed as change of status for people already in the U.S. are generally outside its scope. One court challenge was dismissed on Dec 23, 2025; an appeal is pending at the D.C. Circuit. How it applies to a specific case is a question for counsel — treat it as a live variable in any plan that involves consular processing.
Cap-gap now runs to April 1
F-1 students with a timely filed cap petition: the 2024 H-1B modernization rule extended cap-gap protection, so status and work authorization can continue to April 1 of the next calendar year (previously October 1) while the petition is pending.
Second-selection watch
Whether USCIS runs a second FY2027 selection depends on how many selected registrations actually filed petitions by June 30, 2026. In recent cycles any second selection was announced between late July and August (FY2025: announced July 30, 2024); FY2026 needed none.
How this year's cap ran
- March 4 – March 19, 2026
Electronic registration window - March 31, 2026
Selections completed (registrants notified) - April 1 – June 30, 2026
H-1B cap petition filing window - October 1, 2026
Earliest employment start date (FY2027)
Cap numbers
65,000 regular cap + 20,000 U.S. advanced-degree exemption.
Routes that don't depend on the lottery
Cap-exempt employers
Universities, non-profits affiliated with a university, and non-profit or government research organisations can sponsor H-1Bs outside the cap — any time of year, no lottery.
O-1 (extraordinary ability)
For those with sustained national or international acclaim in their field. No lottery, no cap.
L-1 intracompany transfer
If your employer has a qualifying office abroad, a year there can lead to an L-1A/L-1B transfer to the US.
TN / E-3 / H-1B1
Treaty-based work visas for Canadian & Mexican (TN), Australian (E-3), and Chilean/Singaporean (H-1B1) nationals — separate quotas, no general lottery.
Day-1 CPT — caution
Some schools market "day-1 CPT" to keep you working on F-1. USCIS scrutinises this heavily; it carries real risk of status problems. Get independent legal advice first.
Look north or across the Atlantic
Canada's Express Entry and the UK's Skilled Worker route are point/threshold-based, not lottery-based. See our Express Entry and UK Skilled Worker tools.
Next cycle
FY2028 registration is expected to open in early March 2027. We'll update this page when USCIS confirms the FY2028 dates — expected countdown target: 3 March 2027.
- www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/fy-2027-h-1b-initial-registration-selection-process-completed
- www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations/h-1b-electronic-registration-process
- www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/29/2025-23853/weighted-selection-process-for-registrants-and-petitioners-seeking-to-file-cap-subject-h-1b
- www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/dhs-changes-process-for-awarding-h-1b-work-visas-to-better-protect-american-workers
- www.fragomen.com/insights/united-states-uscis-releases-selection-numbers-for-the-fy-2026-h-1b-cap.html
- www.wsmimmigration.com/immigration-law-insights/2025/uscis-releases-fy-2026-h-1b-registration-statistics/
- www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/restriction-on-entry-of-certain-nonimmigrant-workers/
- www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/h-1b-faq
- tracreports.org/reports/768/
- www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/18/2024-29354/modernizing-h-1b-requirements-providing-flexibility-in-the-f-1-program-and-program-improvements
- www.bls.gov/oes/
- flag.dol.gov/wage-data/wage-search