H-1B Visa Registration Opens March 7 With Massive Fee Hike | What You Need to Know

New Delhi: The H-1B visa cap registration period for FY 2025-26 will open on March 7 and close on March 24, with employers sponsoring applicants required to pay a higher fee for the E-registration process this year.

This year’s fee for H-1B visa registration is $125 per beneficiary, significantly higher than last year's fee of $10, according to reports.

The increase in registration costs, coupled with the beneficiary-centric registration and selection process, as part of efforts initiated by the Biden administration, continuing the previous U.S. government's initiatives to boost the integrity of the H-1B visa program.

Major Changes in H-1B Visa Registration Process

The beneficiary-centric approach, initially implemented for the registration and lottery process, is expected to continue in 2026, where each beneficiary is entered only once, regardless of the number of registrations submitted on their behalf.

The process takes into account each beneficiary’s passport number, serving as a unique identifier to track the number of lottery attempts.

This approach was implemented to prevent multiple entries for the same individual, reducing the possibility of manipulating the system.

What is Lottery Process?

Reports indicate that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is expected to receive over 85,000 H-1B registrations, surpassing the annual cap.

After the registration period ends, USCIS will conduct a lottery to select enough beneficiaries to meet the 65,000 annual cap for the H-1B program.

Additionally, there will be a second lottery for US advanced degree holders who were not selected initially. These individuals will have another opportunity for selection through a random draw.

Modernisation Rule of H-1B Visa

New H-1B visa modernisation rules, which came into effect on January 17, are part of changes to the registration and selection process. These updates were issued by the Biden administration in recent weeks.

One of the key changes in the modernized rules is the redefinition of "specialty occupation," which provides sponsoring employers with more flexibility in determining employment arrangements. This will allow employers to work at their convenience while still complying with the requirements.

The new rules also place particular emphasis on companies in IT services or consultancies, which often send H-1B workers to client-site postings. These businesses could see shifts in how the occupation is defined for their employees.

Under the updated regulations, the client’s job requirements—rather than those of the sponsoring employer—will become the central consideration when determining if a position qualifies as a specialty occupation. This marks a significant shift in the criteria for H-1B visa eligibility.