Attention International Students in the US! Latest Details on the 2026 Fiscal Year H-1B Lottery Revealed

Recently, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the registration period for the 2026 fiscal year H-1B quota will be open from 12:00 PM (Eastern Time) on March 7, 2025, to 12:00 PM (Eastern Time) on March 24, 2025. Employers must complete electronic registration for each beneficiary through the USCIS online account during this period.

Important updates and requirements:

● Registration fee increase: The registration fee for each applicant is now $215.

● USCIS online account: Employers must have a valid account, and past accounts will be converted to organizational accounts.

● Applicant-oriented selection process: The selection will continue to be based on independent applicants, not individual registrations.

● Enhanced functionality: USCIS has introduced pre-filled I-129 form fields and bulk data upload features to simplify the registration process.

Compared to 2024, the biggest change in this year's H-1B online registration is the application fee: previously, an H-1B online registration required only a $10 registration fee, but the 2025 registration fee has surged to $215. It is important to note that the registration fee is non-refundable if the H-1B is not selected.

H-1B Visa: Opportunities and Challenges Coexist

As we know, the H-1B visa is a non-immigrant work visa established by the United States for hiring foreign professionals, applicable to specialized positions requiring a bachelor's degree or higher, such as in technology, engineering, law, etc. The visa is typically valid for 3 years and can be extended up to a maximum of 6 years, sponsored by an employer, and subject to an annual cap (approximately 85,000). H-1B holders can legally work, reside, and apply for a green card in the US, but are limited by the lottery process and employer binding.

H-1B is the main pathway for applying for a work visa to legally stay in the US (including international students), and competition is increasingly fierce, long known as "too many monks and too little porridge." Graduates must go through OPT internship, H-1B work visa lottery, and EB-2/3 green card transition, the "three mountains." Even if you get the chance to participate in the H-1B lottery, the odds are low. The 2024 H-1B registration showed a total of 479,953 registrations, with 470,342 valid registrations, and a final selection of 135,137, with a selection rate of about 28.7%. Applicants not selected must leave the US within 90 days after their OPT time runs out. Even if you are lucky enough to be selected, if you encounter the misfortune of being laid off, you must find a new job within 60 days, or you must leave the US, and all previous efforts and plans may instantly vanish. This also reflects the uncertainty and limitations of the H-1B visa in terms of employment, career development, and daily needs.

Plan Ahead to Overcome H-1B Challenges

For families with children already studying in the US or planning to study in the US, if you want to work and live in the US without being troubled by the H-1B visa, parents of international students might consider planning early: let your children have green card status, so they can study and stay! For example, quickly obtain a US green card through the US EB-5 investment immigration, choose the EB-5 reserved visa project, invest $800,000, and simultaneously submit I-526E and I-485 applications, and you can get a Combo card in about 3 months. Waiting for the green card does not affect entry and exit, allowing legal residence, study, and work in the US without employer sponsorship, and enjoy quasi-green card freedom in advance.