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Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions

Proposed ruleProposed Sep 24, 2025

This is a PROPOSED rule. It is not in force, may change before finalisation, and may never be finalised.

Where it stands

  1. Proposed

    Sep 24, 2025

  2. Final rule

    None in our archive

What the document says

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposes to amend its regulations governing the process by which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) selects H-1B registrations for unique beneficiaries for filing of H-1B cap-subject petitions (or H-1B petitions for any year in which the registration requirement is suspended). DHS proposes to implement a weighted selection process that would generally favor the allocation of H-1B visas to higher skilled and higher paid aliens, while maintaining the opportunity for employers to secure H-1B workers at all wage levels, to better serve the Congressional intent for the H-1B program.

Who the document names

Visa categories

H-1B specialty occupation

Where the document says this
  • H-1B specialty occupation: “…requiring ``experienced'' workers; and wage level IV, set at approximately the 67th percentile, applies to positions requiring ``fully competent'' workers. In other words, wage levels III and IV--the two wage levels that meet or exceed the median wage (50th percentile) of the OEWS wage distribution for a…”

A requirement the document states

“Section 214(c)(1) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(1), which, inter alia, authorizes the Secretary to prescribe how an importing employer may petition for nonimmigrant workers, including nonimmigrants described at section 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b), as well as the form of the petition and the information that an importing employer must provide in the petition;”

This list may be incomplete; the document may name others. Whether it applies to a particular person depends on facts this record does not have.

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Annual dates, shown for context. This document does not set them.

Final ruleStated effective date Feb 27, 2026

Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is amending its regulations governing the process by which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) selects H-1B registrations for unique beneficiaries for filing of H-1B cap-subject petitions (or H-1B petitions for any year in which the registration requirement is suspended). Through this rule, DHS is implementing a weighted selection process that will generally favor the allocation of H-1B visas to higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens, while maintaining the opportunity for employers to secure H-1B workers at all wage levels, to better serve the congressional intent for the H-1B program. This rule will be effective in time for the FY 2027 registration season.

Federal Register ↗Changes requirements
Proposed ruleProposed Aug 25, 2026

Fee for Certain H-1B Petitions

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposes to establish a $103,265 fee, payable at the time of filing, for all H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption, which would be imposed in addition to all other applicable fees or payments. This fee would serve as a dedicated revenue mechanism to help recover a portion of the federal government's costs of administering the lawful immigration system, including activities carried out by DHS, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Department of State (DOS), and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

Agency announcementPublished Aug 24, 2026

DHS Proposes Additional H-1B Fee

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is proposing to establish a $103,265 fee for all H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption.

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About this record

Source
Federal Register, checked Aug 2, 2026
Review
Classified automatically; not reviewed by a person

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