Cap season update: July 2026

The initial filing period for H-1B cap FY 2027 petitions has now closed. As of June 26, 2026, USCIS estimates that they will adjudicate 80% of H-1B cap petitions within nine months of receiving the case, so petitioners can generally expect an update on their April 2026 petition filings by December 2026, and June 2026 petition filings by February 2027.

It is possible that USCIS will run a second round of the H-1B cap lottery if they did not receive enough petitions during the initial filing period. If so, USCIS will make lottery selections from the original pool of entries in March 2026 and will notify those selected via their USCIS account.