FY2028 H-1B Electronic Registration: Employer FAQ

What Is the H-1B Electronic Registration System?

Before employers can file an H‑1B petition, they must first complete electronic registration with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This mandatory online process opens each spring and requires employers to submit basic information about the company and the foreign national they intend to sponsor.

USCIS then uses this registration to determine who enters the lottery, and ultimately, who is selected to move forward with filing a full petition. The government makes available 85,000 H-1B visas annually.

For each employee or candidate an employer registers, there is a mandatory, nonrefundable $215 USCIS fee. USCIS will use this information to conduct the lottery and notify employers and their selected employees, who must submit a full H-1B visa petition to USCIS.

What Are the Important H-1B Dates To Remember?

The H-1B lottery process begins in March of each year. So, for FY 2028, you can expect the H-1B lottery to occur in March 2027. USCIS will release the exact timeline in early 2027.

Following this period, USCIS will conduct the lottery to select the 85,000 beneficiaries before March 31, and sponsoring employers will be notified electronically.

Beginning April 1, employers will have an expected 90 days to prepare and submit a full H-1B visa petition for their employees.

What Information Are Employers Required To Provide When Submitting an H-1B Electronic Registration on Behalf of Their Employees?

To electronically register, USCIS requires information on both the sponsoring employer and the foreign national. For the employer, this includes the company name, mailing address, federal identification number and the employer’s authorized representative, name, job title and contact information.

Employers must supply the following information about each beneficiary:

• Full legal name
• Gender
• Date of birth
• Country of birth
• Country of citizenship
• Passport number
• Whether the beneficiary is eligible for the U.S. advanced-degree cap when an H-1B cap petition is filed

If an attorney assists with the registration, USCIS must also receive their information.

How Does USCIS Notify Employers if Their Employees Are Selected in the Lottery?

USCIS will notify employers and their representatives of selected registrations via their USCIS online accounts before the end of March 2027 (exact dates are still to be determined).

In addition, USCIS will notify employers if an employee is ineligible to file a petition under their registration. It will also notify when a registration is denied or a payment method is declined, not reconciled or otherwise invalid.

How Can I Prepare for H-1B Electronic Registration?

Electronic registration is simpler than the paper-based filing process it replaced, but the H-1B petition itself hasn’t gotten any easier. USCIS can still investigate and sanction employers who submit registrations for unqualified beneficiaries, so H-1B cases still need to be properly vetted and analyzed well before registration opens. Responsible employers should confirm that every foreign national they plan to sponsor is qualified for the role and that no better visa option is available.

Selection is no longer a simple random drawing. Registrations are entered into the lottery by unique beneficiary rather than by employer, and under a DHS rule in effect since Feb. 27, 2026, each beneficiary now receives one to four lottery entries based on the wage level attested on the registration, from Level I to Level IV. A higher offered wage tier means better odds of selection. That makes the wage level an employer chooses at registration a strategic decision, not a last-minute formality. It should be set well before the registration window opens, not during it. The registration fee is $215 per beneficiary.

Employers should work with counsel to fully review each sponsorship, confirm the appropriate wage level and job classification for each beneficiary, and plan how to file selected petitions promptly, to minimize the risk of start-date delays or work authorization disruptions that could affect the business and the foreign national.

Is There Anything Else Employers Should Be Aware Of?

In addition to potential delays, sanctions and Requests for Evidence (RFEs), USCIS has indicated that if multiple registrations were submitted by or on behalf of the same registrant for the same beneficiary, it will deny all registrations submitted for the beneficiary in question for the current fiscal year.

For a more in-depth look at electronic registration, H-1B eligibility requirements and petition practice pointers, be sure to read The H-1B Visa Explained.

How Envoy Global Helps You Navigate The H-1B Lottery

Operating in more than 180 countries worldwide, we have the boots-on-the-ground immigration expertise it takes to get the job done, no matter where our clients do business. Whether it’s helping you sponsor H-1B visas or providing strategic and proactive immigration program guidance, we help get foreign professionals in place, while keeping your business in compliance and always moving forward.