Foreign professionals eager to work in the U.S. now have their eyes on the 2026 H-1B visa season. The registration period opens on March 7, 2025, and closes by March 24, 2025. By then, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will have completed the random selection of beneficiaries.
For FY 2026, USCIS will continue using the beneficiary-centric selection process, introduced last year to curb the system's gaming. Unlike the previous registration-based method, this system ensures each beneficiary is considered only once, regardless of the number of registrations filed on their behalf.
Key changes in the H-1B process
Registration period: March 7 to March 24, 2025
Registration fee: $215 per beneficiary
Selection process: Random selection of unique beneficiaries, rather than registrations
Notification deadline: USCIS plans to notify selected registrants by March 31, 2025
The shift to a beneficiary-centric approach has already cut registration numbers significantly. In FY 2025, USCIS received 470,342 eligible registrations—down 38.6% from FY 2024’s 758,994. The average registrations per beneficiary also fell from 1.70 (FY 2024) to 1.06 (FY 2025).
Step-by-step process for FY 2026
Employers register beneficiaries online via the USCIS portal.
USCIS selects unique beneficiaries using the new selection process.
Selected beneficiaries are notified through their USCIS accounts.
Selected beneficiaries submit H-1B cap-subject petitions to USCIS.
India continues to dominate H-1B landscape
The H-1B visa, designed for highly skilled workers, remains a popular route for Indian professionals. In FY 2023, 72.3% of all H-1B visas were issued to Indian workers. Additionally, India accounts for 28% of international student jobs in the U.S.
Under current regulations, 65,000 H-1B visas are issued annually under the general cap, while an additional 20,000 visas are reserved for those with advanced degrees from U.S. institutions.
Upcoming policy shifts under Trump?
With Donald Trump’s return to the White House, international students and skilled workers could face new visa restrictions. The Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which allows students to work temporarily after graduation, may see changes. The Trump administration is also expected to tighten H-1B rules and limit visas across multiple categories, including family green cards.
On the other hand, Trump has proposed a Gold Card initiative aimed at helping companies hire and retain top foreign talent from elite U.S. colleges.