H-1B FY 2027 Cap Filled: What It Means for Your Job Search
USCIS closed out FY 2027 H-1B registrations ahead of schedule. No second lottery round is happening. Here's what this means for job seekers and what to do next.
The Cap Is Filled—Again
USCIS announced on July 17, 2026, that a second round of the H-1B lottery would not happen. The reason is straightforward: the numerical cap was met for both the regular and master caps. For those tracking FY 2027 (covering October 1, 2026, start dates), this means the race is over.
The selection process that began with registration from March 4 to March 19, 2026, and resulted in USCIS confirming enough registrations to satisfy both the H-1B cap and the advanced degree exemption for fiscal year 2027 filled all available slots. There are 85,000 cap-subject H-1B visas available each year: 65,000 under the regular cap and 20,000 additional visas under the master's cap for people with a qualifying U.S. master's degree or higher.
What This Means If You're Still Waiting
If your employer hasn't filed your petition yet or you're hoping for a lottery win, the news is sobering. Without a second round, you're not getting an H-1B for FY 2027. Employers should begin identifying as soon as possible prospective employees who have not had H-1B status in the past but may need to have it starting October 1, 2026. That language signals employers to look at alternative visas or delay hiring.
For job seekers, this creates urgency around alternative pathways: Students or interns who have an F-1 visa status working under OPT and want to change to H-1B, or some L-1 Intracompany Transferees who are not qualified for green cards as EB-1 multi-national managers should explore those routes immediately.
The Wage-Weighted System Changed the Game
Before this year, H-1B selection was random. The new wage-weighted selection system took effect for the FY 2027 season on February 27, 2026. The process is no longer a purely random lottery; instead, USCIS uses a weighted selection system based on prevailing wage levels, which gives higher-paid positions more entries in the selection process.
What does that mean in practice? Registrations receive weighted entries based on the Department of Labor's four prevailing wage levels: higher wages don't guarantee selection, but they materially improve odds. USCIS modeling estimates suggest Level IV registrations may approach approximately 60% selection probability, while Level I registrations may fall closer to 15%. In a saturated market, wage matters.
Processing Times and Next Steps
As of July 2026, USCIS typically takes about 9 to 10.5 months to process most H-1B I-129 petitions. If your employer has already filed (and been selected), expect adjudication around April 2027. The H-1B petition filing period runs from April 1 – June 30.
For those not selected: talk to your employer immediately about extending OPT, exploring L-1 intracompany transfer options, or discussing whether they can sponsor a green card instead. The H-1B window for FY 2027 is officially closed.