Legal Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney for guidance specific to your company's situation.
The FY2027 H-1B cap season follows the same fundamental process established in recent years: electronic registration in March, lottery selection from the registered pool, and a 90-day window to file complete petitions for selected registrants.
For IT staffing companies, the lottery is a planning and risk management challenge as much as a filing challenge. Here is what you need to prepare.
FY2027 H-1B Lottery: Key Dates and Timeline
USCIS announces the exact registration window each year, typically in late January or February for a March registration period. The general timeline for FY2027 (employment starting October 1, 2026) follows this structure:
- January–February 2026: USCIS announces registration period dates
- March 2026: Electronic registration window opens (typically 2–3 weeks)
- Late March: Registration window closes
- March–April: USCIS conducts lottery selection
- April: Selected registrants notified through myuscis.gov
- 90 days from selection: Deadline to file complete H-1B petition for selected registrant
- April 1, 2026: Earliest filing date for selected petitions
- October 1, 2026: FY2027 employment start date
Monitor USCIS.gov for exact dates. The registration fee is $215 per beneficiary, payable at the time of registration.
How the Current H-1B Selection System Works
USCIS moved to a beneficiary-centric registration system in FY2024, replacing the prior employer-centric approach. Under the current system:
Each unique beneficiary (individual worker) can only be registered once, regardless of how many employers submit registrations for them. If a worker has multiple valid registrations from different employers, USCIS selects one registration per person — the employer selection within that is randomized.
This change was intended to reduce gaming of the lottery system through multiple employer filings for the same worker. It also means that a worker who switches employers during the filing process may create complications with their selected registration.
All registrations must be submitted electronically through myuscis.gov. Paper registration is not available.
The Two-Tier Lottery: Regular Cap vs. Advanced Degree Exemption
The H-1B cap has two components, and USCIS conducts selection in two stages:
Stage 1 — Regular cap (65,000 slots): USCIS first randomly selects from all valid registrations, regardless of the worker's degree type.
Stage 2 — Advanced degree exemption (20,000 additional slots): Workers who hold a U.S. master's degree or higher who were not selected in Stage 1 are eligible for a second selection round from this separate pool.
In practical terms, workers with a U.S. master's degree or higher get two chances at selection — once in the general pool and once in the master's cap. This effectively gives advanced degree holders a statistically higher selection probability than bachelor's degree holders.
For IT staffing companies, this means your petition mix matters for lottery planning. Understanding which of your candidates hold U.S. master's degrees affects your probability estimates and, ultimately, how many candidates you should register to achieve your hiring targets.
What IT Staffing Companies Should Do Before Registration Opens
Identify your candidate pipeline now.
The registration window is short — typically 2–3 weeks. You need a clean list of candidates you intend to register, their educational credentials, and the employer of record for each registration well before the window opens.
Confirm beneficiary eligibility.
Not every candidate who wants H-1B sponsorship is eligible. Before registration, confirm that each candidate meets specialty occupation requirements, has the required degree or equivalent, and that the position you're sponsoring qualifies. Registering ineligible candidates wastes the $215 fee and creates complications if selected.
Clarify end-client placement status.
For consulting-model staffing placements, confirm that end-client arrangements will be stable enough to support a petition filing if the candidate is selected. A registration that cannot proceed to filing because the placement fell through is a missed opportunity and a wasted fee.
Prepare itinerary and worksite documentation.
For consulting placements that involve multiple worksites or anticipated placement flexibility, prepare your documentation approach for the I-129 filing in advance. This includes thinking through the LCA coverage required for anticipated work locations.
Build in contingency for non-selection.
Historical selection rates have ranged from roughly 20% to 40% of registrations depending on the year and the size of the registration pool. You should not plan your workforce with the assumption that all registrations will be selected.
Managing the Uncertainty: Staffing for Workers Who May Not Be Selected
The lottery's probabilistic nature creates real operational planning challenges for IT staffing companies.
If you are counting on 20 new H-1B placements for FY2027 and your historical selection rate is 35%, you need to register approximately 57 candidates to expect 20 selections — and you will still face variance around that expectation.
Practical approaches IT staffing companies use to manage this uncertainty:
Register more candidates than your target. Account for expected non-selection in your registration numbers rather than registering exactly the number of placements you need.
Prioritize cap-exempt placements for essential roles. If a specific role is critical enough that you cannot afford lottery risk, consider whether the position can be placed at a cap-exempt employer (university, nonprofit, government research entity). Cap-exempt petitions do not go through the lottery.
Maintain a pipeline of OPT workers who can extend. Workers on F-1 OPT (particularly STEM OPT) have extended work authorization that can provide a bridge while H-1B cap season resolves.
Have a communication plan for candidates who are not selected. Workers who are not selected in the lottery face real consequences. Clear communication about what happens if they are not selected — including options for alternatives — is both good practice and important for worker trust.
Alternatives for Workers Not Selected in the Lottery
Workers who are not selected in the H-1B lottery have several potential alternatives, each with different requirements and limitations. These should be evaluated with immigration counsel for each specific worker's situation:
TN visa — Available to Canadian and Mexican citizens in qualifying professional occupations. Many IT roles qualify, and TN petitions are not subject to the cap or lottery.
O-1 visa — For workers with extraordinary ability or achievement. Higher evidentiary bar, but not subject to the cap.
L-1 visa — For intracompany transferees who have worked for a related foreign entity. Requires a qualifying corporate relationship.
E-3 visa — Available to Australian citizens in specialty occupations. Has its own cap but is rarely oversubscribed.
STEM OPT extension — For F-1 graduates in STEM fields, providing up to 3 years of work authorization. Workers already on STEM OPT can continue working while potentially registering for a future H-1B cap season.
Lottery reregistration next year — Workers who are not selected can be registered again in the next cap season. Some workers and employers plan around multi-year lottery strategies.
FAQ: FY2027 H-1B Lottery
Can a worker be registered by more than one employer? Under the current system, only one registration per beneficiary is permitted, regardless of how many employers attempt to register them. Multiple employer submissions for the same beneficiary are rejected.
What happens if we're selected but the placement changes? If the specific job or worksite changes materially after selection but before filing, consult with immigration counsel. Some changes require a new LCA and others can be addressed in the petition. The underlying selection remains valid.
Do extensions and amendments go through the lottery? No. H-1B extensions, amendments, and transfers for workers already in H-1B status are cap-exempt. The lottery only applies to new cap-subject petitions.
Can we register for a position that doesn't have a confirmed end-client yet? Registration requires a bona fide job offer. If placement is genuinely speculative at registration time, consult immigration counsel on whether registration is appropriate.
What is the filing fee in addition to the $215 registration fee? USCIS filing fees for the I-129 H-1B petition are separate from the registration fee and have been subject to change. Check current USCIS fee schedules for the most accurate figures at the time of filing.
For a comprehensive guide to the H-1B petition process from registration through approval, see our full resource: H-1B Processing Guide for IT Staffing Companies.