US reaches H-1B visa cap for FY2027, no second lottery to be held

The United States has reached the annual H-1B visa cap for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027, with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirming that it has received enough petitions to fill all 85,000 available slots. The announcement means the agency will not conduct a second H-1B lottery for FY2027.

Employers whose registrations were selected in the H-1B lottery had until June 30, 2026, to submit complete petitions. The selected petitions are for employment beginning October 1, 2026, the start of FY2027.

The confirmation follows USCIS' earlier announcement in May that 211,600 H-1B registrations were properly submitted for FY2027, down 38.5% from 343,981 registrations received for FY2026.

Weighted lottery introduced for FY2027

This year's H-1B cap process was the first to use the Department of Homeland Security's weighted lottery system, replacing the long-standing random selection process.

Under the new system, registrations linked to higher wage offers receive a greater chance of selection based on the Department of Labor's four-level Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) prevailing wage system.

According to data released by USCIS in May:

• 71.5% of selected foreign nationals held a US advanced degree, compared with 57% in FY2026.
• Only 17.7% of selected registrations fell under the lowest wage category (OEWS Level 1).

USCIS has not yet released the complete FY2027 H-1B cap statistics, including the overall selection rate. The agency said additional data may be published in the coming days or weeks.

What the announcement means

With the FY2027 cap now reached, employers that did not have a registration selected in the initial lottery will not receive another opportunity through a second selection round this fiscal year.

The H-1B programme allows US employers to hire foreign professionals in speciality occupations requiring specialised knowledge. Congress caps new H-1B approvals at 85,000 each fiscal year, including 20,000 visas reserved for beneficiaries holding a US master's degree or higher.

The FY2027 H-1B cap applies to petitions for employment beginning October 1, 2026.The United States has reached the annual H-1B visa cap for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027, with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirming that it has received enough petitions to fill all 85,000 available slots. The announcement means the agency will not conduct a second H-1B lottery for FY2027.

Employers whose registrations were selected in the H-1B lottery had until June 30, 2026, to submit complete petitions. The selected petitions are for employment beginning October 1, 2026, the start of FY2027.

The confirmation follows USCIS' earlier announcement in May that 211,600 H-1B registrations were properly submitted for FY2027, down 38.5% from 343,981 registrations received for FY2026.