Lottery results for the H-1B visa program fiscal year 2027 started coming in on Friday, immigration lawyers confirmed, adding that all the results are not out and will come by the weekend, but before April 1, employers will have to start filing petitions for their selected candidates. This was the first time that USCIS conducted a salary-based lottery and not a random lottery among H-1B applications. Immigration attorney Emily Newman said selection notices come to employers or attorneys if they work with attorneys, and a candidate may not know if they have been selected until the law firm or employer notifies them. “USCIS has begun uploading H-1B lottery selection notices to myUSCIS accounts. We have not yet received the usual email notification, but upon logging in, we are able to see some selections. This will likely continue over the weekend and into next week. Those selected can begin filing on April 1, 2026 and must use the new version of the I-129 form, which now asks for information about the level of education, experience, skills, and supervision required for the position. Is,” Newman said.
Is there a possibility of a second, third lottery?
USCIS has not yet published the number of registrations and the number of selected candidates. After employers submit petitions for selected candidates, USCIS checks whether the threshold of $85,000 is met and then announces a second lottery. Newman said it was possible there would be a second lottery this year because many employers cannot petition for selected candidates if they are outside the U.S. because companies would have to pay a $100,000 fee to hire them. The second lottery was conducted in fiscal year 2025. No other lottery was held in fiscal year 2026.
What is the new Form I-129?
The updated Form I-129 now asks employers to provide detailed information about the minimum requirements for the position that is used to determine the salary level on the Labor Condition Application (LCA). Employers are also required to disclose the minimum educational requirements for the role, required fields of study, minimum experience requirements and whether the position involves supervisory duties.
