H-1B hub
The FY2027 cap cycle in plain terms — the new weighted selection, the cap numbers, live countdowns, and honest alternatives if you weren't selected.
Facts as of 2026-07-06. Sources listed at the foot of this page.
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.
Countdowns
Higher wage levels get more lottery entries
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.
Who it helps
Senior and specialised roles paid at OES Level III–IV — their registrations now carry up to 4× the selection weight of an entry-level offer.
Who it hurts
Entry-level and new-graduate roles paid at Level I, and employers who cluster many registrations at the lowest wage level — their odds fall relative to before.
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.
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.
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.