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Federal · Final rule · Homeland Security Department

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

Final rule Significant Official data

Last official action: · Record last updated:

Official abstract (Federal Register)

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.

Dates (as published)

This final rule is effective February 27, 2026.

Read the rule on FederalRegister.gov ↗

Sources

  1. Federal Register: 90 FR 60864
  2. Official PDF (GovInfo)
  3. Federal Register API (Office of the Federal Register / GPO)