Pre-registration applications for the H-1B visa, a professional employment visa for the 2027 fiscal year, will begin on the 4th of next month, the first time a high-income priority system has been implemented. According to USCIS, the pre-registration application for the 2027 H-1B visa will be accepted for 15 days, from noon on March 4th to noon on March 19th, Eastern Standard Time. Individual notifications of selection results will be made by March 31st.
Starting this year, the H-1B visa issuance selection method will be significantly changed. According to the announcement by the Department of Homeland Security in December of last year, the selection of H-1B visa applicants will be changed from the previous random lottery to a lottery that gives weight to applicants classified as high-income. The new system sorts applicants into four categories based on wages, with the highest-wage category receiving four chances in the lottery and the lowest category receiving only one.
Previously, all applicants had an equal chance of being selected for the lottery, but the new rules significantly increase the chances of being selected for a visa. The Department of Homeland Security explains that while the selection probability for the lowest wage category, Category 1, is 15.29%, it will increase to 30.58% for Category 2, 45.87% for Category 3, and 61.16% for Category 4, the highest-wage category.
Another major change to H-1B issuance this year is the fee regulations. According to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in September of last year, employers who hire foreign nationals who do not have an H-1B visa and reside outside the United States must pay a $100,000 fee when filing the H-1B petition (Form I-129). However, if an international student (F-1 visa holder) legally residing in the United States applies for a change of status, the $100,000 fee will be waived