Overview
- Employers must register electronically through USCIS organizational accounts from noon ET March 4 to noon ET March 19 and pay a nonrefundable $215 fee per beneficiary.
- USCIS plans to post selection notices by March 31, will select more than 85,000 registrations, and will give at least a 90‑day period to file full petitions.
- Selections will be weighted by OEWS prevailing wage level, requiring SOC code, intended worksites, and the highest wage level met at registration, with Level IV receiving four entries and Level I one.
- USCIS says the registration process is unchanged by the September 2025 proclamation, but selected cap petitions approved only for consular processing could owe an additional fee of up to $100,000, which in‑country change‑of‑status approvals generally avoid.
- Separately, DHS and DOL authorized up to 64,716 supplemental H‑2B visas for FY2026, largely reserved for returning workers and conditioned on employer attestation of impending irreparable harm, including an allocation of 18,490 for May 1–September 30 start dates.