For fiscal year 2027, the H-1B filing dates run on a fixed calendar: electronic registration opened at noon Eastern on March 4, 2026 and closed at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on March 19, 2026; selected employers can file the petition during a 90-day window that begins April 1, 2026; and the employment start date for cap-subject H-1B workers is October 1, 2026.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H-1B Cap Season Each of those dates is a hard deadline, and missing one usually means waiting a full year to try again.
The March Registration Window
Every cap-subject H-1B case starts with electronic registration through the myUSCIS portal. For FY 2027, the window was March 4 through March 19, 2026.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H-1B Electronic Registration Process There is no late-registration option. An employer that misses those roughly two weeks cannot file a cap-subject petition for the entire fiscal year and has to wait until the next registration period.
A non-refundable $215 fee applies to each beneficiary registered, paid through Pay.gov.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H-1B Electronic Registration Process A payment that fails or gets flagged by the employer’s bank kills the registration, so late-in-the-window submissions carry real risk.
Selected registrants get a notification in their myUSCIS account, and the account status changes to show they are eligible to file a petition.
The 90-Day Petition Window
USCIS begins accepting cap-subject H-1B petitions on April 1. Once a registration is selected, the employer has 90 days from that point to file Form I-129, and the exact deadline appears on the Registration Selection Notice.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H-1B Cap Season Missing the 90-day deadline ends the case. The employer would have to re-register the following March.
Starting with FY 2027, USCIS accepts online filing of H-1B cap petitions, and paper filing to the designated service center remains available. A petition sent to the wrong location can be refiled at the correct one, but only if it still lands within the 90-day window.
Get the LCA Certified Early
Before Form I-129 can go out, the employer needs a certified Labor Condition Application from the Department of Labor. DOL reviews LCA submissions within seven working days.3U.S. Department of Labor. H-1B, H-1B1 and E-3 Specialty (Professional) Workers Waiting until late in the 90 days leaves no room to fix errors, so the LCA should be filed as soon as selection results come in.
Receipt and Processing Time
Once USCIS receives the complete package, it issues a Form I-797C receipt notice with a unique tracking number.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797 Types and Functions Standard processing runs roughly three to eight months depending on the service center’s workload. The receipt proves the petition is in the system; it is not an approval.
October 1 Start Date and Early Entry
The legal employment start date for all cap-subject H-1B visas is October 1, the first day of the federal fiscal year. Working before that date is unauthorized and creates serious immigration consequences for both the employer and the worker, even if the petition has already been approved.
Workers coming from abroad can enter the United States up to 10 days before the petition’s validity period begins.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 2 Part M Chapter 9 – Admission, Extension of Stay, Change of Status, and Change of Employer For an October 1 start, the earliest possible entry is September 21. Those 10 days are only for settling in and handling logistics; no job duties can be performed. Customs officers verify the start date on the I-797 approval notice before granting entry.
Premium Processing and RFE Deadlines
Employers who need a faster decision can file Form I-907 for premium processing, which requires USCIS to take action within 15 business days of receiving the request.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service “Take action” means approve the petition, deny it, or issue a Request for Evidence. As of March 1, 2026, the premium processing fee for H-1B petitions is $2,965.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees
If USCIS issues a Request for Evidence, the response deadline is a maximum of 84 days, with an additional 3 days added when the notice is sent by regular mail, making the practical deadline 87 days.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1 Part E Chapter 6 – Evidence Missing that deadline results in automatic denial. Assembling the documentation an RFE asks for often takes longer than people expect, so the response calendar starts the day the notice arrives.
Cap-Gap Coverage for F-1 Students
An F-1 student selected in the H-1B lottery whose Optional Practical Training expires before October 1 faces a coverage gap between the two statuses. Federal regulations bridge that gap automatically: both F-1 status and OPT work authorization are extended through September 30 as long as a cap-subject H-1B petition was filed on the student’s behalf during the authorized filing period and the F-1 status or OPT expires during the gap window.9Study in the States. F-1 Cap Gap Extension No separate application is required.
Travel is the trap. An F-1 student who leaves the country before the H-1B change-of-status petition is approved is treated by USCIS as having abandoned the petition, and cannot re-enter under the cap-gap extension.10Study in the States. H-1B Status and the Cap Gap Extension International travel is only safe after the change-of-status approval comes through. If the H-1B petition is denied, rejected, or withdrawn, the cap-gap extension terminates and the student receives a 60-day grace period to depart.9Study in the States. F-1 Cap Gap Extension
Grace Periods After H-1B Employment Ends
H-1B status is tied to a specific employer, so the end of a job also starts a clock on legal presence. Federal regulations provide a 60-day grace period after employment ends, running from the last day of work or until the end of the petition’s authorized validity period, whichever comes first.11eCFR. 8 CFR 214.1 – Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status During those 60 days the worker cannot perform any job duties, but they can look for a new employer to file a transfer petition, apply for a change of status, or prepare to leave. If a new employer files a transfer petition before the 60 days expire, the worker can generally remain while USCIS processes it. The Department of Homeland Security retains discretion to shorten or eliminate this grace period, though that would be unusual.
Separately, at the end of a petition’s normal validity period, workers get a 10-day window to wrap up their affairs and depart. That window is distinct from the 60-day grace period and does not allow any work.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 2 Part M Chapter 9 – Admission, Extension of Stay, Change of Status, and Change of Employer
When the Filing Calendar Does Not Apply
Not every H-1B petition goes through this timeline. Cap-exempt employers can file H-1B petitions year-round with no registration step and no April 1 or October 1 constraint. The exemption covers institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations affiliated with such institutions, nonprofit research organizations, and government research organizations.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H-1B Cap Season A worker who later moves from a cap-exempt employer to a cap-subject private-sector employer would need to go through the lottery at that point unless another exemption applies.