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USCIS Reaches Fiscal Year 2027 H-1B Cap

CategoriesH-1BPolicy
Signals
Neutral sentiment
High impact
USCIS
Lottery / selection
Summary

Informational only, not legal advice. Confirm deadlines on the official notice or with a qualified professional.

USCIS has received enough H-1B petitions to reach both the regular cap of 65,000 visas and the advanced degree exemption cap of 20,000 visas for fiscal year 2027. This means the H-1B cap registration period has closed and a lottery will be held to select beneficiaries from the pool of petitions received. Employers and workers should expect lottery results in the coming weeks, with selected petitions moving forward and others returned.
Full official notice
USCIS

Authoritative text and filing details are always on the publisher’s site.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year 2027.

Visa bulletin
May 2026

Final action, filing & DV tables

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H-1B

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