H-1B Visa New Rules: Finally the lottery results are out. The H-1B visa applicants are now happy. USCIS or The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have announced the results of the lottery for the fiscal year 2026. There are a lot of changes incorporated with the procedure along with the registration fee. The H-1B Visa registration fee has increased from $10 to $215. Along with this a new selection process has developed.
According to the H-1B Visa New Rules, only one entry per applicant is applicable no matter how many employers apply on their behalf. If your status got the selected mark, it means you have successfully got the access in the lottery process. Now onwards your employer can file H-1B cap petition for you. The respective applicants can verify their selection status through their employer or by any legal representative or from the USCIS online portal. As results are released in phases, those who have not yet received confirmation should keep checking for updates. This year’s selection process was done by choosing the beneficiaries randomly.
H-1B Visa New Rules – H-1B Lottery Result 2026 is live now
The H-1B Lottery Result 2026 is live now. The applicants check their H-1B Lottery status via online whether they are selected for the visa or not. There are so many changes have been taken place in the process of visa application. USCIS has implemented various changes regarding the registration fee price hike along with it has focused on a new selection model which is mostly beneficiaries oriented and important anti-fraud measures that will alter how employers and foreign workers navigate this competitive visa.
There are many factors associated with the changes. If you are an international student then this change can put an impact your. Likewise if you are a STEM professional even or an employer, who is searching to hire a talented employee from abroad, can also be impacted by the changes. This detailed guide covers everything you need to know from the increased fees to strategic considerations for both employers and applicants.
H-1B Visa Lottery System
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa through which an USA employer could hire foreign workers or students who wants to work temporarily for specialized jobs that require specific knowledge or skills. Various job fields which use this visa are, in the field of IT, data science, finance, engineering, architecture, health industry and etc. The USICS normally permits 65,000 visas under the standard cap along with extra 20,000 visas for the applicants who have advance degree. So in total the limit is 85,000 visas are there. And by seeing this high demand, there was an invention of H-1B visa lottery system.
Main motive of H-1B visa lottery selection is random selection of the candidates. It helps to reduce the number of applications. The H-1B visa registration was done from March 7th to March 24th. It has also created opportunities for exploitation, such as multiple submissions for the same individual by different employers. The changes planned for 2025 aim to tackle these issues.
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New changes in the H-1B Visa Registration
The fee hiked
The H-1B application registration fee has reached its peak from $10 to $215. This is a huge increment, almost the price hiked by 2050 %. Through this change USCIS had an aim of reflecting the original administrative costs jointed with the electronic registration system. Via this price hike, the USCIS has planned to manage the processing expenses and the duplicity of the applications. Through which employers can shorten their choices of sponsorship and can genuinely hire someone who deserves.
Lottery Model (Beneficiary-Centric)
For this year’s selection, USCIS has adopted a beneficiary-focused approach for the lottery. In this process each and every applicant can only enter in the lottery once, no matter how many employers submit a registration on their behalf. If a beneficiary is having multiple job offers, the chance of being selected is minimal though. If many employers register to have the same applicant, only one will be chosen in this case. And that chosen employer will be able to file a petition on behalf of that beneficiary. This change enhances fairness, efficiency and transparency in the H-1B application process.
H-1B visa anti fraud and verification procedure
USCIS has strengthened the identity verification process. Now the passport numbers, date of birth and nationality proof is important as unique beneficiary identifiers. It has also cross checking the database to reduce the duplicate entries and to maintain the accuracy. These measures have been taken to minimize the fraud, to give chance equally and to strengthen the trust of the applicants.
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H-1B visa Impact of changes
- Due to the changes, international students on F-1 OPT or STEM OPT looking for ongoing employment in the U.S. get affected.
- The employers belong to technology, healthcare, engineering and finance industries get affected.
- The newly formed ventures and large MNCs with mass hiring got affected.
- Only the Transferees of H-1B visa or the individuals with amendments or visa extension candidates have not got affected through these changes.
Every procedure needs a change for the improvement. It makes the process error free and practices fairness. It strengthens the integrity and makes it fraud free. The increasing cost can act as revenue generated to support the govt. in managing its operational costs. Overall these modifications could improve the quality and legitimacy of H-1B selections.
