Release Date 01/30/2026 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2027 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 4 and run through noon Eastern on March 19, 2026 . During this period, prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners and representatives must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated $215 H-1B registration fee for each registration. If you are an H-1B petitioning employer who does not have a USCIS online account, you must create an organizational account . Representatives may add company clients to their accounts at any time, but both representatives and employers must wait until March 4 to enter beneficiary information and submit registrations and the associated $215 fee. Selections take place after the initial registration period closes. We intend to send selection notifications by March 31, 2026, via users’ USCIS online accounts to prospective petitioners and representatives who have at least one registration selected. A petitioner may only file an H-1B cap-subject petition, including a petition for a beneficiary who is eligible for the advanced degree exemption, if their registration for the beneficiary of the cap-subject petition was selected in the H-1B registration process. Additional information on the electronic registration process is available on the H-1B Electronic Registration Process page. We will update this page prior to the initial registration period. New for the FY 2027 Cap Season The Department of Homeland Security published a final rule amending the regulations governing how USCIS selects H-1B registrations for unique beneficiaries who can then file H-1B cap-subject petitions. The new H-1B selection process prioritizes allocating visas to higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens to better protect the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities of American workers. For the FY 2027 H-1B cap season, if we receive registrations for unique beneficiaries during the initial registration period that exceed the cap, we will conduct a weighted selection from the unique beneficiaries with properly submitted registrations. If we do not receive registrations for enough unique beneficiaries, we will select all registrations for unique beneficiaries that were properly submitted in the initial registration period. On Sept. 19, 2025, President Trump issued a Proclamation, Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, an important initial step to reform the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program. While the proclamation does not directly impact the electronic registration process, if a petitioner has their registration selected and is eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition, they may need to pay an additional $100,000 fee before filing the H-1B petition as a condition of eligibility. See the Presidential Proclamation on Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers section on our H-1B Specialty Occupations page for additional details. https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/fy-2027-h-1b-cap-initial-registration-period-opens-on-march-4 Last Reviewed/Updated: 01/30/2026

Release Date 01/14/2026 New rule eliminates one-year foreign residency requirement for thousands of religious workers abroad WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued an interim final rule to religious organizations and their communities allowing thousands of religious workers—including priests, nuns, and rabbis—that previously were required to remain outside the United States before returning, to resume their essential services. This rule significantly reduces this wait time, providing stability and minimizing disruptions for faith-based communities. “Under the leadership of Secretary Noem, DHS is committed to protecting and preserving freedom and expression of religion. We are taking the necessary steps to ensure religious organizations can continue delivering the services that Americans depend on,” said a DHS spokesperson . “Pastors, priests, nuns, and rabbis are essential to the social and moral fabric of this country. We remain committed to finding ways to support and empower these organizations in their critical work.” The rule supports President Trump’s Executive Order (E.O.) 14205, Establishment of the White House Faith Office and removes the requirement for R-1 religious workers to reside outside the United States for one year when they reach the statutory five-year maximum period of stay. While R-1 religious workers are still required to depart the U.S., the rule establishes that there is no longer a minimum period of time they must reside and be physically present outside the U.S. before they seek readmission in R-1 status. The demand for visas within the EB-4 category has exceeded the supply for many years. Changes implemented by the Department of State in 2023 significantly increased the already lengthy wait times for immigrant visas in the EB-4 category for aliens from certain countries, including for religious workers. These delays have caused many religious workers to exhaust their maximum period of stay in R-1 status. By eliminating the one-year foreign residency requirement, USCIS is reducing the time religious organizations are left without their trusted clergy and non-ministerial religious workers. The interim final rule is effective immediately. USCIS invites written comments and related materials submitted within 60 days of the rule’s publication in the Federal Register. https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/dhs-reduces-wait-times-for-thousands-of-religious-workers-abroad Last Reviewed/Updated: 01/14/2026