H-1B Registration Window Opens March 4–19, 2026 With New Wage-Weighted Selection

USCIS has announced the 2026 H-1B cap registration window will run from March 4 to March 19, 2026, with selections expected by March 31. The $215-per-registration fee remains unchanged, and a potential second selection round may occur in mid-to-late summer if needed to fill the annual cap. The most significant change this cycle is a new wage-weighted selection system. Under the new federal rule, registrations are entered into the lottery pool multiple times based on the wage level the employer intends to offer, using DOL's four-tier wage survey. A Level 4 (highest) wage offer earns four entries in the general pool—and four more in the advanced degree pool if applicable—for a total of eight chances at selection. A Level 2 offer yields two entries per pool, while Level 1 offers receive only one entry each. Employers must now disclose the DOL wage level, Standard Occupation Code (SOC), and area of intended employment on the registration, all under penalty of perjury. They must also attest that the job offer is bona fide. This information will be used both for pool weighting and post-selection fraud review. USCIS has built in several fraud deterrents to prevent employers from inflating stated salaries. After selection, employers must submit evidence supporting their declared wage level, including DOL prevailing wage data and internal salary analyses. A new mandatory H-1B petition form (effective April 1, 2026) requests more detailed information on the foreign national's qualifications, and USCIS will flag cases where employers later seek to reduce salary or change worksites to lower-wage areas. While H-1B is a separate visa category from EB-3, this policy shift is relevant to EB-3 applicants and employers: companies that use H-1B for initial entry often later sponsor EB-3 or EB-2 green cards. The increased documentation burden and wage transparency requirements signal a broader regulatory trend toward stricter employment-based immigration oversight that may affect all sponsored visa categories.