A comprehensive timeline of FY2027 selections from March 22 through March 31, 2026 — updated with the latest patterns.
The FY2027 H-1B lottery closed on March 19, 2026 with approximately 343,981 registrations — down 27% from the prior year. USCIS began releasing selections on March 22 and is continuing through the end of March. This page tracks the day-by-day pattern of selections, broken down by wage level, employer size, and geographic region. If you are refreshing your portal every hour, this tracker is designed to give you context for what you are seeing — and when to start planning next steps.
FY2027 selections began March 22 and continue through March 31, 2026. Overall selection rate is 35.3% across 343,981 registrations. All four wage levels are being selected simultaneously. If your status still shows Submitted after April 7, begin activating backup plans — but do NOT withdraw your registration as a second round is possible.
| Date | Activity | Wage Levels Seen | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 19 | Lottery closed | — | 343,981 registrations confirmed |
| March 20-21 | Processing | — | Weekend, no updates |
| March 22 | First selections appear | L3, L4, some L2 | Large employers first (Amazon, Google, MS) |
| March 23 | Selections accelerate | All 4 levels | Level 1 confirmations begin appearing |
| March 24-25 | Major wave | All 4 levels | IT consulting firms (Infosys, TCS) appear |
| March 26 | Continued releases | All 4 levels | Email backlog clearing, portal ahead |
| March 27 (today) | Selections ongoing | All 4 levels | Smaller employers and individual regs appearing |
| March 28-31 | Expected final waves | All 4 levels | Remaining batches, tail end selections |
The FY2027 lottery is the second year of the wage-weighted selection system. With 343,981 registrations (down 27% from FY2026's ~470,000), the overall selection rate improved significantly to 35.3% — roughly 1 in 3 registrations will be selected. This is a dramatic improvement from FY2026's ~25% rate, driven primarily by the drop in registrations after USCIS eliminated the multiple-registration loophole.
USCIS is releasing selections in batches rather than all at once. The pattern shows larger employer registrations being processed first (likely because bulk submissions are handled as groups), followed by medium-sized employers, and finally individual registrations from smaller firms and boutique immigration practices. This means if your employer is a small company that registered 1-5 candidates, your results may be among the last to appear — potentially not until March 30-31 or even early April.
For emotional management during this waiting period: set a specific portal check schedule (morning, noon, evening) rather than refreshing constantly. Talk to friends and family about your anxiety. Have your backup plan written down so it feels concrete rather than abstract. And remember that the math is the math — your odds do not change based on when USCIS processes your batch. The social media vetting expansion taking effect March 30, 2026 applies to future applications and does not affect FY2027 lottery selections.
See the FAQ section below.
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Search H-1B Sponsors on Wisa →Based on historical patterns, USCIS typically completes initial selections within 7-10 business days of the lottery close date. With the lottery closing March 19, 2026, initial selections should be largely complete by March 31 to April 2. However, some stragglers may appear into the first week of April.
Not necessarily, but it becomes increasingly unlikely. By April 7 (13 business days after lottery close), virtually all initial selections should be released. If you are still Submitted after April 7, the probability is very high that you were not selected in the initial round. A second selection round may occur if insufficient selected candidates file by June 30.
USCIS processes selections in batches, not in registration order. The batch your registration falls into depends on your employer size, registration method, and processing queue — not your registration date. Large employers see results first because their bulk registrations are processed as groups. Your registration date has no impact on your selection odds.
Start preparing backup plans now while continuing to wait for results. Research cap-exempt employers, STEM OPT extension eligibility, and Day-1 CPT programs. Preparation is not the same as activation — you do not need to accept a cap-exempt offer or enroll in CPT until you know your lottery outcome. But having options ready reduces stress and decision-making pressure if you are not selected.