{"id":17509,"date":"2025-02-24T14:26:45","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T19:26:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rebeccablacklaw.com\/?p=17509"},"modified":"2025-02-24T14:26:45","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T19:26:45","slug":"fy-2026-h-1b-cap-initial-registration-period-opens-on-march-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rebeccablacklaw.com\/es\/fy-2026-h-1b-cap-initial-registration-period-opens-on-march-7\/","title":{"rendered":"FY 2026 H-1B Cap Initial Registration Period Opens on March 7"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially announced the opening of the initial registration period for the <strong>Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 H-1B cap<\/strong>. The registration window will commence at <strong>noon Eastern on March 7, 2025, and will remain open until noon Eastern on March 24, 2025<\/strong>. This is a crucial period for prospective petitioners, employers, and representatives to register their beneficiaries electronically through the USCIS online system.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Key Dates and Process for H-1B Registration<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><strong>Registration Opens<\/strong>: March 7, 2025, at noon Eastern<\/li>\n<li><strong>Registration Closes<\/strong>: March 24, 2025, at noon Eastern<\/li>\n<li><strong>Selection Notifications<\/strong>: Expected by March 31, 2025<\/li>\n<li><strong>Registration Fee<\/strong>: $215 per beneficiary<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>During this period, <strong>H-1B cap-subject petitioners<\/strong> or their authorized representatives must use a <strong>USCIS online account<\/strong> to complete electronic registrations for each beneficiary they wish to enter into the selection process. This online system streamlines the registration process, reducing paperwork and improving efficiency.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Beneficiary-Centric Selection Process for FY 2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>USCIS will continue using the <strong>beneficiary-centric selection process<\/strong>, which was first implemented in <strong>FY 2025<\/strong>. This system ensures that registrations are selected based on unique beneficiaries rather than multiple submissions, preventing duplicate registrations from increasing selection chances unfairly.<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>If the total number of <strong>unique beneficiaries<\/strong> exceeds the H-1B cap limit, <strong>USCIS will conduct a random selection<\/strong> process.<\/li>\n<li>If the cap is not met by March 24, 2025, <strong>all properly submitted registrations will be selected<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Selection notifications will be sent via USCIS online accounts, <strong>no later than March 31, 2025<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>How to Register for the H-1B Lottery<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ol start=\"1\" data-spread=\"true\">\n<li><strong>Create a USCIS Online Account<\/strong>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>Employers without an existing USCIS account must create an <strong>organizational account<\/strong> before initiating registrations.<\/li>\n<li>If an employer had an <strong>H-1B registrant account<\/strong> between FY 2021 and FY 2024 but did not use it for FY 2025, their account will automatically convert to an <strong>organizational account<\/strong> upon login.<\/li>\n<li>First-time users can create accounts <strong>at any time<\/strong> before the registration period.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enter Beneficiary Information &amp; Submit Registration<\/strong>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>Representatives may <strong>add clients<\/strong> at any time, but beneficiary information <strong>can only be entered starting March 7<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Employers must <strong>submit a $215 registration fee per beneficiary<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Await Selection Notification<\/strong>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>USCIS will notify selected registrants through their <strong>USCIS online account by March 31, 2025<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Only employers with selected beneficiaries can <strong>file full H-1B petitions<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><strong>Temporary Increase in Credit Card Transaction Limit<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>For the FY 2026 H-1B cap season, the <strong>U.S. Department of Treasury<\/strong> has approved a temporary <strong>increase in the daily credit card transaction limit<\/strong> from <strong>$24,999.99 to $99,999.99 per day<\/strong>. This change accommodates the high volume of registrations that typically exceed previous limits. Transactions over <strong>$99,999.99 must be processed via Automated Clearing House (ACH)<\/strong> payments, which may require prior bank approval.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Organizational Account Enhancements for FY 2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>USCIS has implemented several <strong>enhancements to organizational accounts<\/strong> aimed at streamlining the H-1B registration and petition filing process:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><strong>Paralegal Multi-Representative Access<\/strong>: Paralegals can now <strong>work with multiple legal representatives<\/strong>, allowing them to prepare H-1B registrations and petitions across different attorneys within a <strong>single paralegal account<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Improved Client Management<\/strong>: Legal representatives can now add <strong>paralegals to company clients<\/strong> more efficiently.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Form I-129 Pre-Population<\/strong>: Selected H-1B registrations will have <strong>certain fields automatically pre-populated<\/strong> to reduce manual entry errors.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bulk Upload for H-1B Beneficiary Data<\/strong>: Employers can now prepare and <strong>upload spreadsheets<\/strong> containing beneficiary information, which will then <strong>auto-populate data in the H-1B registration system<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>What Happens After Selection?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>If a beneficiary is selected, the petitioner must submit a complete <strong>H-1B cap-subject petition<\/strong> along with supporting documentation and fees. Only employers with a <strong>selected registration can file an H-1B petition<\/strong> for their beneficiary.<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>Selected petitions <strong>must be filed within the filing window specified by USCIS<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>USCIS will process H-1B cap petitions in accordance with <strong>existing regulations and timelines<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Employers can also submit <strong>Form I-907<\/strong> for <strong>premium processing<\/strong>, which expedites petition adjudication.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Key Takeaways for Employers &amp; Representatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><strong>March 7 \u2013 March 24, 2025<\/strong>: Initial registration period for FY 2026 H-1B cap.<\/li>\n<li><strong>$215 registration fee per beneficiary<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Selection process based on unique beneficiaries, not multiple registrations<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Temporary increase in daily credit card transaction limit to $99,999.99<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enhanced USCIS organizational accounts to streamline registration and petition processes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Employers and representatives should prepare early by <strong>creating organizational accounts, gathering required beneficiary data, and ensuring payment methods comply with USCIS regulations<\/strong>. As demand for H-1B visas remains high, registering within the designated timeframe is essential for successful participation in the selection process.<\/p>\n<p>For further details, visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscis.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>USCIS H-1B Electronic Registration Process page<\/strong><\/a> and stay updated with the latest <strong>H-1B cap news and procedural changes<\/strong>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially announced the opening of the initial registration period for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 H-1B cap. The registration window will commence at noon Eastern on March 7, 2025, and will remain open until noon Eastern on March 24, 2025. This is a crucial period for prospective [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":15062,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[363],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rebeccablacklaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/cover-min.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccablacklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccablacklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccablacklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccablacklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccablacklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17509"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccablacklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17511,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccablacklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17509\/revisions\/17511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccablacklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccablacklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccablacklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccablacklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}