7 guides · Updated 2026-10-14
H-1B guides
The weighted lottery, wage levels and registration, explained with official sources.
How the H-1B weighted lottery works
The H-1B lottery now gives 1 to 4 entries based on your wage level. How levels are set, projected odds per level, the master's cap, and what changed in FY 2027.
02H-1B wage levels I–IV, explained
What H-1B prevailing wage Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 mean, which percentile each one sits at, how DOL calculates them from OEWS data, and why they differ by city.
03Lottery wage level vs. LCA wage level
Your LCA wage level comes from the job's requirements. Your lottery level comes from the salary you are offered. How the two relate, and why the numbers must stay consistent.
04How to legitimately raise your H-1B wage level
Four honest ways to reach a higher H-1B wage level and more lottery entries: salary, work location, remote work rules and timing. Plus the moves that backfire.
05Where a $150,000 software developer offer gets 4 lottery entries
Original analysis of DOL 2026–27 wage data: a $150,000 software developer offer reaches Level IV in 46 of 100 major H-1B metros and stays at Level I or below in 2.
06DOL's proposed wage rule: what it would mean for you
DOL proposed raising H-1B prevailing wage levels from the 17th–67th to the 34th–88th percentiles. Status, what would change, and how it could affect the weighted lottery.
07H-1B registration for FY 2028: what to expect
What to expect for the FY 2028 H-1B cap registration in March 2027, based on how FY 2027 ran: dates, the $215 fee, wage-level selection, and the status of the $100,000 fee.