The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the opening of the initial registration period for the fiscal year 2026 H-1B cap. This registration window will commence at noon Eastern Time on March 7, 2025, and conclude at noon Eastern Time on March 24, 2025. During this timeframe, prospective petitioners and their representatives must electronically register each beneficiary through a USCIS online account and pay the designated $215 registration fee.
USCIS has emphasized that those submitting petitions for the H-1B cap or their representatives must complete the registration process electronically within the given timeframe. “Prospective petitioners and their representatives must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process,” the agency clarified.
For those who do not yet have a USCIS online account, the agency recommends creating an organizational account. Employers who previously had an H-1B registrant account during the fiscal years 2021 to 2024 registration periods but did not utilize it for FY 2025 will find that their accounts will automatically be converted into organizational accounts after their next login. Meanwhile, first-time registrants have the option to create an account at any time. To assist users, additional resources, including step-by-step video guides, will be available on the Organizational Accounts Frequently Asked Questions page. This page will be updated prior to the start of the registration period to provide comprehensive guidance.
Representatives managing H-1B registrations can add clients to their accounts at any time. However, both representatives and registrants must wait until March 7 to enter beneficiary information and officially submit registrations along with the necessary payment. USCIS clarified that there is no advantage to registering on the first day, as selections occur only after the registration window has closed. “Selections take place after the initial registration period closes, so there is no requirement to register on the day the initial registration period opens,” USCIS noted.
For FY 2026, the H-1B cap selection process will continue using the beneficiary-centric model that was introduced in FY 2025. Under this approach, registrations are selected based on unique beneficiaries instead of by individual registrations. If USCIS receives a sufficient number of registrations for unique beneficiaries by the March 24 deadline, a random selection process will be conducted, and notifications will be sent through USCIS online accounts. The agency has set March 31, 2025, as the deadline for announcing selection results.
In response to previous high volumes of H-1B registrations, the U.S. Department of Treasury has approved a temporary increase in the daily credit card transaction limit for H-1B registration payments. The new transaction cap for the FY 2026 season will be $99,999.99 per day, significantly higher than the previous limit of $24,999.99. “Transactions exceeding $99,999.99 may be made via Automated Clearing House (ACH),” USCIS stated. The agency also advised that payors may need to coordinate with their banks in advance to lift any ACH blocks on their accounts to facilitate large transactions.
USCIS has also reiterated that an H-1B petition—including those filed under the advanced degree exemption—can only be submitted by a petitioner whose registration for the beneficiary was selected during the official H-1B registration process.
To improve efficiency and streamline operations for FY 2026, USCIS has introduced several system enhancements for organizational and representative accounts. These upgrades will include the capability for paralegals to collaborate with multiple legal representatives and the introduction of tools that allow certain Form I-129 fields to be automatically pre-populated from selected H-1B registrations. “These enhancements will be live before the start of the initial registration period,” USCIS confirmed.
