Immigration & Visas · Notice
H-1B: both FY 2027 caps reached
The 65,000 regular cap and the 20,000 advanced-degree exemption are full for the fiscal year that began in October. The next registration window is in March.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to reach both H-1B caps for fiscal year 2027: the congressionally mandated 65,000 regular cap and the 20,000 visas reserved for people holding a US master's degree or higher. The agency states both on its H-1B electronic registration page.
What that means now
Cap-subject petitions for FY 2027 are done. An employer that was not selected in the registration, or that did not register, cannot obtain a cap-subject H-1B for this fiscal year and must wait for the FY 2028 season.
Cap-exempt filings are unaffected. Institutions of higher education, related non-profit entities, non-profit research organizations and government research organizations file outside the numerical limits, as do extensions, amendments and transfers for workers who already hold cap-subject H-1B status.
How this year's selection worked
The FY 2027 registration ran from noon Eastern on March 4 to 5:00 p.m. Eastern on March 19, at a fee of $215 for each registration.
The selection method is the part that changed the calculation for employers. USCIS says that where a random selection is necessary it conducts a weighted selection among properly submitted registrations for unique beneficiaries, based generally on the highest Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics wage level that the beneficiary's proffered wage will equal or exceed. Registrants must state that wage level for the relevant occupation code in the area of intended employment.
In plain terms, a registration attached to a higher wage level carries more weight in the draw than one at the lowest level for the same occupation and area. The offered salary is no longer just a compliance number; it changes the odds of being picked.
The dates that matter next
USCIS announces each season's registration window, and the fee, before it opens. For FY 2028 that announcement is expected early in 2027, with the window in March, following the pattern of recent years. The H-1B tracker carries the FY 2027 rules as USCIS published them and will carry the FY 2028 window the day it is announced.
Anyone tracking a green-card route alongside an H-1B should also watch which Visa Bulletin chart USCIS accepts each month, which is recorded on the Visa Bulletin tracker.
What to do
- Cap-exempt employers, including many universities and affiliated non-profits, can still file; the cap does not apply to them. Official link
- For FY 2028, watch for the registration window USCIS announces before March 2027. Official link
Questions readers ask
- What does it mean that the H-1B cap is reached?
- That USCIS has received enough petitions to fill both the 65,000 regular cap and the 20,000 advanced-degree exemption for fiscal year 2027. Cap-subject filing for this year is finished.
- Can any employer still file an H-1B petition?
- Cap-exempt employers can: institutions of higher education and their affiliated non-profits, non-profit research organizations and government research organizations. Extensions, amendments and transfers for existing H-1B holders are also outside the cap.
- When is the next H-1B registration?
- Expected in March 2027 for fiscal year 2028. USCIS announces the window and the fee before it opens, and the H-1B tracker carries the dates the day they are published.
Filed under: H-1B cap and registration: FY 2027
Mentioned:U.S. Citizenship and Immigration ServicesH-1B visa
How we reported this
Built from 1 primary document linked in the Source Card. Every number was copied from the document, not from another outlet.
Written by Mirza Seraj Baig · Checked against the documents in the source card (editorial standards).