The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a final rule that replaces the longstanding random H‑1B cap lottery with a wage‑level‑based weighted selection system, set to take effect in time for the fiscal year 2027 H‑1B cap season beginning in March 2026. Under the new rule, beneficiaries registered…
Articles Posted in Start-Up Immigration
DHS Proposes Rule to Increase H-1B Lottery Selection Odds for Higher-Paid Workers
On September 24, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a proposed rule that would change the current selection process for selecting H-1B visa petitions subject to the annual numerical limits established by the Immigration and Nationality Act. Under the proposed rule, the current random lottery system would be…
New Proposed Rule Re-Evaluates Selection Process for H-1B Visa Workers
A new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed rule known as RIN 1615-AD01 “Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions,” seeks to make radical changes to the selection process for new H-1B specialty occupation cap-subject visas. On Thursday last week, the proposed rule was…
USCIS Releases FY 2026 H-1B Cap Season Statistics
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently released detailed statistics and data regarding the number of beneficiaries selected during the fiscal year 2026 H-1B cap season, highlighting the highly competitive nature of the visa process. Each year, the H-1B visa program allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign…
BREAKING NEWS: The H-1B FY 2026 Initial Lottery and Selection Process Has Been Completed
In this blog post, we bring you an important announcement regarding the H-1B visa fiscal year (FY) 2026 cap season. Today, March 31st the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it received sufficient electronic registrations during the initial registration period to meet the annual numerical limitations for fiscal year…
H-1B FY 2026 Cap Registration Opens March 7th
The H-1B FY 2026 cap season is now in full swing! Yesterday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) formally announced that the initial registration period for the FY 2026 cap season will open on March 7th at noon Eastern time and run through March 24th at noon eastern time.…
USCIS Releases Updated Guidance for EB-2 National Interest Waiver Petitions
On January 15, 2025, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released updated police guidance for EB-2 National Interest Waiver petitions. The updated policy guidance is effective immediately and applies to requests pending or filed on or after its publication date of January 15. This guidance provides insights into how…
President Elect Donald Trump’s Change of Heart, Suddenly Embraces H-1B Work Visas
After years of criticizing the H-1B work visa program, benefitting highly skilled foreign talent, on Saturday the President-elect shocked the world when he pledged his support for the program. In an interview with the New York Post, Trump said, “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor…
New Final Rule Brings Major Changes to the H-1B Visa Program in 2025
New changes to the H-1B work visa program are coming on January 17, 2025. A new final rule published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the Federal Register lays out some of the critical changes that H-1B beneficiaries and U.S. employers can expect. These changes will become effective…
How Employment-Based Visa Applicants Can Prepare for the Incoming Trump Administration
In this blog post, we discuss how Trump’s return to the White House on January 20th could impact employment-based visa applicants and their employers in the years ahead. While the Trump campaign has been very vocal about their zero-tolerance policy toward illegal immigration, much less has been said about employment-based…