BREAKING NEWS: The H-1B FY 2026 Initial Lottery and Selection Process Has Been Completed

In this blog post, we bring you an important announcement regarding the H-1B visa fiscal year (FY) 2026 cap season.

Today, March 31^st the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it received sufficient electronic registrations during the initial registration period to meet the annual numerical limitations for fiscal year 2026, including for the advanced degree exemption (also known as the master’s cap).

Due to this, the agency has completed the H-1B visa lottery and selected unique beneficiaries at random from the properly submitted electronic registrations to reach the H-1B cap.

As of today, March 31^st USCIS has notified all prospective petitioners of their selection via their myUSCIS organizational accounts. Please be aware that only selected beneficiaries are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition with USCIS.

Congratulations to all those who were selected!

How will I know if I was selected in the lottery?

Petitioners with selected registrations will have their myUSCIS online organizational accounts updated to include a selection notice, which includes details of when and where to file. If you submitted your electronic registration with the assistance of an attorney, you should contact your legal representative to determine whether you were selected in the randomized lottery and your next steps.

Please note that a registrant’s USCIS online account will show one of the following statuses for each beneficiary registered:

Submitted: The registration has been submitted and is eligible for selection. If the initial selection process has been completed, this registration remains eligible, unless subsequently invalidated, for selection in any subsequent selections for the fiscal year for which it was submitted.
Selected: Selected to file an H-1B cap petition.
Not Selected: Not eligible to file an H-1B cap petition based on this registration.
Denied – duplicate registration: Multiple registrations were submitted by or on behalf of the same registrant for the same beneficiary. If denied as a duplicate registration, all registrations submitted by or on behalf of the same registrant for this beneficiary for the fiscal year are invalid.
Invalidated –failed payment: A registration was submitted but the payment method was declined, not reconciled, or otherwise invalid.
Deleted: The submitted registration has been deleted and is no longer eligible for selection.

Beneficiaries must have a “Selected” registration notification for fiscal year 2026 (FY 2026) in order for the prospective employer to properly file an H-1B cap-subject petition on their behalf.

The status of registrations that are not selected as part of the initial random selection process, and are not denied or invalidated, will remain as “Submitted” and eligible for selection in a subsequent FY 2026 cap lottery, should one occur.

If I have been selected in the lottery, when can I submit my paper application by mail?

Only petitioners who were selected in the lottery will be able to file an online or paper application with USCIS on behalf of the alien worker.

H-1B cap-subject petitions for fiscal year (FY) 2026, may be filed online with USCIS beginning April 1, 2025, using your myUSCIS organizational account.

Petitioners also have the option of filing a paper Form I-129 H-1B petition and any associated Form I-907 request for premium processing service by mail.

Those filing by mail will need to include a printed copy of the applicable registration selection notice with the FY 2026 H-1B cap-subject petition, and file the petition at the correct filing location, within the filing window indicated on your selection notice.

If I have been selected, does that mean I will receive an H-1B visa?

No. Registration selection only means that petitioners are eligible to file H-1B cap-subject petitions on behalf of the alien worker with USCIS. It does not mean that the petition will be approved and there is no guarantee of approval.

Petitioners filing H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those petitions eligible for the advanced degree exemption, must still submit evidence and establish eligibility for petition approval based on existing statutory and regulatory requirements. The burden of proving eligibility always falls upon the petitioner who is filing the H-1B petition on behalf of the alien worker.

Existing Clients Registered in the FY 2026 Cap Lottery

For those selected in the lottery, your employer will be notified to proceed with next steps for filing an H-1B petition with USCIS. If your registration was not selected, beneficiaries can seek independent legal counsel to explore alternative legal avenues.

For more information about these updates, please click here.

Contact Us. If you would like to schedule a consultation, please text 619-483-4549 or call 619-819-9204.

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