H-1B · Electronic Registration Process
The H-1B Electronic Registration Process: How It Works, FY 2027 Updates, and Integrity Rules
Before any H-1B cap-subject petition can be filed, the employer must electronically register each prospective beneficiary with USCIS and pay a $215 registration fee. Selection is not guaranteed — only registrants whose beneficiaries are selected may proceed to petition. USCIS opened the FY 2027 registration window from March 4 to March 19, 2026, and applied the new weighted selection model for the first time.
This article explains the mechanics of the registration process from start to finish: what must be submitted, how selection works, what the FY 2026 registration data revealed, and what USCIS does to deter fraud in the system.
Registration window: March 4 – March 19, 2026 (noon Eastern open; 5:00 p.m. Eastern close).
Fee: $215 per registration.
Minimum window: At least 14 calendar days per fiscal year. Selection occurs after the window closes — you do not need to register on day one.
Weighted selection: First applied FY 2027. Level IV = 4 entries; Level III = 3; Level II = 2; Level I = 1.
Why the Electronic Registration Process Exists
Before 2020, H-1B cap-subject petitions were filed — full petition packages — on April 1, and USCIS ran the lottery from the actual petitions received. That system was expensive, administratively burdensome, and vulnerable to abuse: employers could submit multiple full petitions for the same beneficiary with different organizational names, multiplying lottery entries while incurring large filing fee costs across the board.
The electronic registration system, introduced for FY 2021, separates the selection step from the filing step. Employers submit lightweight registration forms and a modest $215 fee. Only selected registrants spend the resources to assemble and file a full petition. This saves money for employers whose beneficiaries are not selected and allows USCIS to identify and flag fraudulent or duplicate entries before they generate full petition filings.
The FY 2024 experience — where the system was still gamed through fraudulent registrations by the same beneficiary under different employers — led to the beneficiary-centric selection model in FY 2025, which capped the selection advantage from duplicate registrations. The FY 2027 weighted selection rule then introduced a new axis: wage level as a proxy for skill level.
How to Register: Step by Step
Create or Log In to a USCIS Online Account
All H-1B cap registrations must be submitted through a USCIS online account at myaccount.uscis.gov. Organizations that file on behalf of multiple employers must use an organizational account and must be duly authorized to act as agent for each employer. Representatives (attorneys, accredited representatives) file through their own accounts linked to the client's matter.
Complete a Registration for Each Beneficiary
Enter all required fields: beneficiary name, sex, date of birth, master's degree status, country of birth, country of citizenship, passport or travel document information, OEWS wage level, SOC code, and area of intended employment (city, state, county). Use the USCIS-provided bulk upload template for large volumes (up to 2,500 beneficiaries per upload). Each beneficiary must be registered under exactly one passport or travel document per registrant.
Pay the $215 Registration Fee
Payment is submitted through the USCIS online account as part of the registration process. Registrations with failed or incomplete payments are excluded from eligibility — they do not enter the selection pool. Verify payment confirmation for each registration before the window closes.
Sign the Attestation
Each registration submission requires the registrant to attest under penalty of perjury that all information is complete, true, and correct; that the registration reflects a bona fide job offer; that the registrant will pay the beneficiary at or above the OEWS wage level selected for the SOC code and area; and that the registrant has not coordinated with others to submit registrations that unfairly inflate selection odds.
Wait for Selection Notification
Selection does not happen in real time. USCIS runs the selection process after the registration window closes. Registrants receive selection notices in their online accounts. All registrants who submitted for a selected beneficiary receive a notice — there may be multiple selection notices for the same beneficiary if different employers each registered for them. You do not need to register on the first day of the window; selections are drawn from all properly submitted registrations after the window closes.
File the Petition (Selected Registrants Only)
Only registrants with a selection notice for a beneficiary may file an H-1B cap-subject petition for that beneficiary. The petition must be filed beginning April 1 and may not be filed more than 6 months before the requested start date. The start date must be October 1 or later. See the H-1B Cap Season article for full petition filing requirements.
The OEWS Wage Level Requirement
Starting FY 2027, registrants must provide the highest OEWS wage level that the beneficiary's proffered wage equals or exceeds for the relevant SOC code in the area of intended employment. OEWS wage levels correspond to the 25th percentile (Level I), 50th percentile (Level II), 75th percentile (Level III), and a point above the 75th percentile (Level IV) of wages for a given occupation and geography.
The wage level is not just a registration field — it is a legal commitment. The registrant attests that the organization is offering a salary at or above that OEWS level. The subsequent petition must include evidence demonstrating the basis of the wage level selected at registration, and the LCA must reflect a proffered wage that meets the prevailing wage for that level in the applicable SOC code and area.
The wage level entered at registration sets a floor for the petition. If a petition is assembled with an LCA at a lower wage level than registered, the petition is inconsistent with the registration and subject to denial or a request for detailed explanation. The only acceptable direction of change between registration and petition is upward — a petition that documents a higher wage level than registered is generally not a problem; one that documents a lower level creates a compliance issue that requires explicit justification.
How Selection Works
USCIS conducts the selection after the registration window closes. If the total number of properly submitted registrations for unique beneficiaries does not exceed the projected number needed to fill the cap, USCIS selects all properly submitted registrations. No lottery is needed.
When registrations exceed the cap projection — which has been the case for every fiscal year since the registration system was introduced — USCIS runs a weighted random selection. The weighting is based on OEWS wage level:
- Level IV beneficiaries: 4 entries in the selection pool
- Level III beneficiaries: 3 entries
- Level II beneficiaries: 2 entries
- Level I beneficiaries: 1 entry
Each unique beneficiary — regardless of how many employers registered for them and how many total entries they have in the pool — is counted only once toward the cap projection. If selected, every registrant who submitted for that beneficiary receives a selection notice.
If selection is suspended and USCIS returns to a petition-based process, the same wage-level weighting would apply to the petitions themselves.
FY 2027 Cap Process Update
The FY 2027 registration window ran from noon Eastern on March 4, 2026 through 5:00 p.m. Eastern on March 19, 2026. USCIS confirmed receipt of enough registrations for unique beneficiaries to reach the FY 2027 H-1B numerical allocations, including the advanced degree exemption. Selected registrants received notification in their USCIS online accounts and were eligible to file cap-subject petitions beginning April 1, 2026.
This was the first cap cycle in which the weighted selection model was in effect. USCIS has indicated it will publish post-cycle data on FY 2027 registration volumes and selection outcomes in a manner similar to prior years' transparency reports.
FY 2026 Registration Analysis
The FY 2026 cycle revealed a dramatically transformed registration landscape compared to the peak fraud environment of FY 2024:
- Unique employers: Approximately 57,600 for FY 2026, comparable to FY 2025's 52,700.
- Eligible unique beneficiaries: Approximately 339,000 for FY 2026 — a significant drop from FY 2025's approximately 442,000.
- Total eligible registrations: 343,981 for FY 2026, versus 470,342 for FY 2025 — a reduction of 26.9%.
- Average registrations per beneficiary: 1.01 for FY 2026, versus 1.06 for FY 2025. Nearly every beneficiary had exactly one registration submitted on their behalf.
- Multi-registration beneficiaries: Only 7,828 in FY 2026, versus 47,314 in FY 2025 and a peak of 408,891 in FY 2024.
- Selected: 120,141 registrations.
Historical Registration and Selection Data
| Cap FY | Total Registrations | Eligible Registrations* | Single-Reg Beneficiaries | Multi-Reg Beneficiaries | Selected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2021 | 274,237 | 269,424 | 241,299 | 28,125 | 124,415 |
| FY 2022 | 308,613 | 301,447 | 211,304 | 90,143 | 131,924 |
| FY 2023 | 483,927 | 474,421 | 309,241 | 165,180 | 127,600 |
| FY 2024 | 780,884 | 758,994 | 350,103 | 408,891 | 188,400 |
| FY 2025 | 479,953 | 470,342 | 423,028 | 47,314 | 135,137 |
| FY 2026 | 358,737 | 343,981 | 336,153 | 7,828 | 120,141 |
* Eligible registrations exclude duplicates, registrations deleted before the period closed, those denied for invalid passport/travel document data, and those with failed payments.
Fraud Deterrence and the Attestation Requirements
Every H-1B registration submission requires a signed attestation under penalty of perjury covering four specific claims:
- All information in the registration is complete, true, and correct.
- The registration reflects a bona fide job offer for the beneficiary.
- The registrant (or the organization on whose behalf the registration is submitted) is offering the beneficiary a salary at or above the OEWS wage level selected on the registration for the SOC code in the area of intended employment.
- The registrant has not worked with, or agreed to work with, any other registrant, petitioner, agent, or individual to submit a registration that would unfairly increase selection chances for the beneficiary or beneficiaries in the submission.
If USCIS determines that an attestation was not accurate, it treats the registration as not properly submitted. A petition based on such a registration can be denied or its approval revoked. Beyond denial, USCIS may refer the registrant to federal law enforcement for investigation, including potential criminal prosecution for false statements to a federal agency.
Passport Data Integrity
Each registration must include valid, current passport or travel document information — including the document number, country of issuance, and expiration date. Placeholder entries such as "NA," "00000," or obviously invalid data are grounds for USCIS to find the registration not properly submitted and exclude it from selection entirely. This is one of the simplest and most avoidable errors in the registration process — verify passport data directly from the physical document or a clear scan before submission.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register on the first day of the registration window to improve my chances?
No. Because selection is conducted after the entire registration window closes — not on a first-come, first-served basis — registering on the first day provides no advantage over registering on the last day. The only timing requirement is that the registration must be submitted before the window closes. That said, registering early leaves time to identify and correct data errors before the window ends.
If a beneficiary is not selected in year one, can they be registered again in year two?
Yes, with no limitation. Each fiscal year's registration process is entirely independent. An unselected beneficiary can be registered in the next cycle, and the cycle after that, indefinitely until either selected or the employer withdraws. There is no "priority" or "waitlist" carryover from prior years.
Can I cancel a registration after submitting it?
Yes, registrants may delete their own registrations through the USCIS online account before the registration window closes. Registrations deleted by the employer before the window closes are excluded from eligibility and do not enter the selection pool. The $215 fee is not refunded. After the window closes, registrations can no longer be deleted by the employer — but USCIS can still find them improperly submitted if the data is later determined to be invalid or fraudulent.
What happens after selection — what exactly does the employer receive?
Selected registrants receive a Registration Selection Notice in their USCIS online accounts. The notice indicates that the employer is eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for the specific beneficiary named in the registration. The notice includes a unique reference number that must be provided on the H Classification Supplement (Page 13, Question 5) of the I-129. Filing the petition without the selection notice reference, or filing for a beneficiary whose registration was not selected, results in rejection or denial.
Need Help With H-1B Registration and Petition Filing?
Hasan Legal PC manages the full H-1B process — from registration strategy and wage level analysis through petition assembly, RFE response, and status maintenance.
Official Sources
- USCIS — H-1B Electronic Registration Process
- USCIS — FY 2027 H-1B Initial Registration Selection Process Completed
- Federal Register — Weighted Selection Final Rule (Dec 23, 2025)
- Federal Register — Beneficiary-Centric Selection Final Rule (Feb 2, 2024)
- USCIS — Fee Schedule (Form G-1055)
- USCIS Online Account Portal
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. H-1B registration requirements change each cap cycle. Consult a qualified immigration attorney before registering or filing.