What changed?
Until FY 2026, every eligible H-1B cap registration had the same chance in a purely random draw. A DHS final rule published on December 29, 2025 and effective February 27, 2026 replaced that with a weighted selection. The first season run under it was FY 2027, with registration in March 2026.
How many entries do I get?
Each registration is entered into the selection pool once for every wage level its offered salary reaches:
| Wage level | Entries in the pool | DHS projected selection odds |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | 1 | 15.29% |
| Level II | 2 | 30.58% |
| Level III | 3 | 45.87% |
| Level IV | 4 | 61.16% |
The level is the highest Department of Labor OEWS prevailing wage level that the offered salary equals or exceeds, for the job's SOC code and the area where the work will be done. A salary below Level I is entered once, the same as Level I.
What are my real odds?
The percentages above are DHS projections built from five years of past registrations, when roughly 30% of registrations were selected. Real odds depend on how many people register each year and at which levels. In FY 2027, eligible registrations fell 38.5%, from 343,981 to 211,600, so realized selection rates were higher than projected at every level. USCIS has not published official selection rates by level.
What USCIS did report: only 17.7% of selected registrations were at Level I, and 71.5% of selected beneficiaries held a U.S. master's degree or higher, up from 57% the year before.
Does a U.S. master's degree still help?
Yes. USCIS first selects from all registrations, master's holders included, until it reaches the 65,000 regular cap. It then selects from the remaining registrations that qualify for the advanced-degree exemption until it reaches 20,000. The wage weighting applies in both rounds, so an advanced-degree holder at Level III gets three entries in the first draw and three again in the second.
What if I have several worksites or several employers?
If the job has more than one worksite, the registration uses the lowest wage level among them. If several employers register the same person, USCIS uses the lowest wage level across all of those registrations. Extra registrations from other employers can't raise your level, only lower it.
Which wage data applies to the next registration?
DOL publishes new wage tables every July 1. The FY 2028 registration, expected in March 2027, falls inside the wage year that runs from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Those are the numbers on this site.
Sources
- DHS final rule: Weighted Selection Process (90 FR 60864)
- USCIS: H-1B electronic registration process
- Business Standard: FY 2027 registrations down, more higher-degree selections
Not legal advice. Confirm your situation with your employer or an immigration attorney.