H-1B Visa Renewal: Will There Be a Second Lottery? As far as we know, USCIS achieved visa caps for FY2027
In a major update, U.S. citizenship USCIS announced Friday that there will not be a second lottery in fiscal year 2027. “USCIS has received enough petitions to reach the 65,000 limit set by Congress,” the agency said. H-1B visa Regular cap and 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption (i.e., master’s degree cap) for FY 2027. “
If the cap is not reached, the agency will organize a second round of draws. Given the unique nature of this year’s draw, there are hopes for a second or possibly third round. H-1B Lottery. For the first time, USCIS conducted a salary-based lottery rather than a random selection, and for the first time employers were obligated to pay $100,000 for every H-1B petition they filed.
Lottery registrations drop
This time, lottery registrations have decreased due to the implementation of a number of new regulations. Experts say the reduced numbers could increase the likelihood of a second or third-round draw. Approximately 211,600 H-1B registrations were filed in fiscal year 2027, while 343,981 were filed in fiscal year 2026.
Salary-based lottery eliminates random selection method
Fiscal Year 2027 marks the first implementation of a salary-based lottery immigration officereplacing the previous random selection method. Jobs with higher salaries are awarded with higher chances of selection. With employers unfamiliar with the process, some experts expect filing behavior to become less predictable.
this trump card The government also imposes a $100,000 fee H-1B application, causing employers to be more picky when registering. As a result, many companies submitted fewer applications than in previous years. It is anticipated that some employers may not file a petition even if an employee is drawn for related expenses.
