US Citizenship and Immigration Services said on 31 March that it had received enough registrations to fill the H-1B visa cap for fiscal year 2027, and had notified the employers whose registrations were selected [1].
It was the first lottery under a weighted selection process. Registrations are weighted by the highest government wage level the offered salary meets, for the occupation and area, so better-paid jobs have better odds [2].
Employers could file petitions for selected workers from 1 April [1].
What it covers
Foreign workers registered by US employers for the 65,000 regular H-1B visas and the 20,000 for holders of US advanced degrees. USCIS later confirmed both were reached [2].
Certain H-1B petitions filed since 21 September 2025 must also include an additional $100,000 payment, under a presidential proclamation [1].
In the previous lottery, for FY 2026, there were 343,981 eligible registrations and 120,141 were selected, according to USCIS [2].
What it does not tell you
How many registered this year, or who was selected at each wage level. USCIS had not published FY 2027 figures by 29 September [2].
Whether the weighting raised the pay of those selected. That will only show in later data [2].
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