USCIS Confirms No Second H-1B Lottery for Fiscal Year 2027

The wait is over for H-1B applicants. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially confirmed that there will be no second H-1B visa lottery for Fiscal Year 2027. The agency announced it received enough petitions to fill the annual visa quota, ending hopes for another selection round.

USCIS said it received sufficient petitions to cover both:

• 65,000 regular H-1B visas
• 20,000 additional visas reserved for applicants with advanced degrees from U.S. colleges and universities, commonly called the master's cap

Because the annual limit has already been reached, no additional lottery rounds will take place this fiscal year.

Why Did Many People Expect Another Lottery?

A second or even third H-1B lottery only happens if USCIS doesn't receive enough approved petitions to meet the yearly cap.

This year, many immigration experts believed another round was possible because the H-1B selection process changed in a major way. The sharp drop in registrations also led many to think some visa spots could remain unfilled.

H-1B Registrations Fell Significantly

USCIS reported a noticeable decline in H-1B registrations for Fiscal Year 2027.

• Fiscal Year 2027: About 211,600 registrations
• Fiscal Year 2026: 343,981 registrations

The lower number of registrations sparked speculation that fewer employers would move forward with petitions, potentially creating room for a second lottery. That, however, did not happen.

New Wage-Based Selection Changed the Process

Fiscal Year 2027 was the first year USCIS used a wage-based selection system instead of the traditional random lottery. Under the new approach, job offers with higher wages received priority during the selection process.

At the same time, employers also faced a $100,000 fee for each H-1B petition, encouraging many companies to sponsor fewer candidates and be more selective.

Despite these major changes, USCIS confirmed that enough employers completed the petition process to meet the full H-1B cap. As a result, there will be no second H-1B lottery for Fiscal Year 2027.