Key takeaways

• USCIS opens FY 2027 H-1B cap registration on March 4, 2026, and closes it on March 19, 2026.
• Employers must register online and pay $215 per beneficiary.
• USCIS plans to send selection notices by March 31, 2026.
• FY 2027 uses a wage-weighted selection instead of a purely random lottery.
• A separate $100,000 payment may apply in some cases at the petition stage, not the registration stage

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The US government has announced that FY 2027 H-1B cap registration will open on March 4 and close on March 19, 2026. USCIS will notify selected registrations by March 31, using a new wage-weighted selection process that can change the odds for many applicants, including Nepali students and professionals in the US.

USCIS has told employers they must submit H-1B cap registrations through the online system during the March 4–19 window. The agency has set the registration fee at $215 per beneficiary.

For Nepali applicants, the key point is simple: you cannot register yourself. Only a sponsoring employer (or their lawyer) can file the registration. If your employer misses the window, your chance is gone for this season.

Key dates Nepali applicants should track

USCIS will open the registration system at 12:00 pm ET on March 4, 2026, and close it at 12:00 pm ET on March 19, 2026. USCIS plans to send selection notices by March 31, 2026.

If a registration is selected, employers are expected to begin filing full H-1B petitions starting April 1, 2026, and the filing window will stay open for at least 90 days.

The standard annual H-1B cap remains 65,000, plus 20,000 more for people with a US master’s degree or higher.

What’s new for FY 2027

For FY 2027, DHS is replacing the pure random lottery with a wage-based weighted selection. That means higher-wage roles should get better odds, while lower-wage roles still remain eligible.

A USCIS spokesperson said the old system got abused by employers looking for cheaper labor.

This shift matters for many early-career applicants, including Nepali graduates in entry-level roles. Under a weighted system, job title, wage level, and offered salary can matter more than before.

The $100,000 issue, what it does and does not change

USCIS has also pointed employers to a presidential proclamation tied to an additional $100,000 payment for some H-1B cases. Reports and guidance say the proclamation does not change the electronic registration step, but it may apply later at the petition stage for certain employers and situations.

Because the details depend on the case type and whether a worker needs consular processing, affected employers typically handle this with immigration counsel.

What Nepali applicants should do now

First, confirm your employer is willing to sponsor and has time to complete the registration between March 4 and March 19. Ask who will submit it, HR, an attorney, or both.

Second, make sure your basics are clean and consistent: passport details, legal name spelling, degree info, and worksite details. Small errors can become big problems later when the full petition is filed.

Third, watch for scams. If someone promises to “file H-1B for you” without a real US employer sponsor, that’s not how this works.