Historical dates, employer vs beneficiary portal timing, and exactly when to expect your FY2027 H-1B selection notification
The H-1B FY2027 registration window closed on March 19, 2026. Now comes the hardest part: waiting. USCIS has not announced an exact date for lottery selections, but historical patterns give us a reliable prediction window. Here's what we know about when FY2027 results will drop.
| Fiscal Year | Registration Closed | First Selections Sent | Days After Close |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | March 25, 2023 | March 27, 2023 | 2 days |
| FY2025 | March 25, 2024 | March 25, 2024 | Same day |
| FY2026 | March 21, 2025 | March 27, 2025 | 6 days |
| FY2027 | March 19, 2026 | Expected March 26 – April 4 | 7–16 days (projected) |
FY2027 introduces the wage-weighted lottery for the first time, replacing the purely random selection used in prior years. USCIS must now sort registrations into wage tiers based on prevailing wage levels before running the selection algorithm. This additional processing step could add a few days to the timeline compared to previous years.
With 343,981 registrations submitted, USCIS also needs to run duplicate beneficiary checks under the beneficiary-centric system introduced in FY2025. These validation steps ensure each unique beneficiary has only one chance in the lottery regardless of how many employers registered them.
Historically, USCIS does not make a public announcement before sending selections. Instead, employer accounts update first, and attorneys begin reporting selections on immigration forums and social media. Beneficiary myUSCIS accounts update in batches over 24 to 48 hours after employer portals.
Search Wisa to find which companies have the strongest H-1B sponsorship history.
Search H-1B Lottery Sponsors →Search thousands of verified H-1B sponsors by company, industry, and location.
Search H-1B Sponsors on Wisa →No. USCIS does not publicly announce a specific date or time for lottery selections. Selections are sent without prior notice. The first indication typically comes from immigration attorneys reporting selection notifications on employer portals, followed by social media reports and forum posts.
Employers and their attorneys access the USCIS online account system where registrations were filed. Selection notifications post to the petitioner's (employer's) account first. Beneficiary myUSCIS accounts update in subsequent batches, usually 24 to 48 hours later. This is normal and does not indicate a problem.
USCIS systems operate on Eastern Time. Historical data shows updates typically appearing between 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM ET on the first day of selections. However, this can vary, and some updates have appeared as early as 8:00 AM ET. There is no guaranteed time.
USCIS sends selections in batches over several days. Large employers with hundreds of registrations may see results staggered across 2–4 days. Individual beneficiary account updates follow the employer batch, adding another 1–2 days. The entire process from first selection to last typically takes 5–7 days.