USCIS announced that the initial registration period for the FY 2027 H-1B cap will run from noon Eastern on March 4 through noon Eastern on March 19, 2026. During this window, cap-subject employers and their representatives must register each beneficiary electronically through a USCIS online account and pay a $215 registration fee per beneficiary. Employers without an online account must create an organizational account, and while representatives may add clients at any time, beneficiary information and fees cannot be submitted until March 4. After the registration period closes, USCIS will conduct selections and plans to issue selection notifications by March 31, 2026. Only petitioners with selected registrations may file H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those seeking the advanced degree exemption. For the FY 2027 cap season, DHS has implemented a new weighted selection process that prioritizes higher-skilled and higher-paid beneficiaries if registrations exceed the statutory cap, aiming to better protect U.S. workers’ wages and job opportunities. If registrations do not exceed the cap, all properly submitted registrations will be selected. In addition, a September 19, 2025 presidential proclamation does not change the registration process but may require certain selected petitioners to pay an additional $100,000 fee as a condition of filing an H-1B cap-subject petition.