On February 5, 2025, the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS) announced that the initial registration period for the FY 2026 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 7, 2025, and run through noon Eastern on March 24, 2025. During this period, prospective petitioners and their representatives must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated registration fee for each beneficiary.  

For FY26 the USCIS H-1B lottery registration fee is $215 per individual registered. This is up from the $10 registration fee for prior years.