Now that the FY2026 H-1B lottery registration window has officially closed, employers and their sponsored beneficiaries enter a period of anxious waiting for the selection results. Below are answers to common questions about the selection process and timeline:

When will selection results be available?

USCIS will finalize and update all selection results by March 31. However, based on past years, selections for both the master’s and bachelor’s caps are often completed and notifications begin a few days earlier — potentially around March 27 or 28 this year. Once selections start, it typically takes USCIS 2–3 days (sometimes including weekends) to update applicant statuses in the system. Employers and beneficiaries shouldn’t be concerned if there’s no update on the first day that others receive their results. USCIS will announce once all results have been posted — which could happen by March 31 or sooner — so until that announcement, it’s best not to assume anything either way.

How are selected beneficiaries notified?

USCIS uploads selection notices in the same myUSCIS accounts that the employers used to submit and e-sign the registration forms. Selection notices can therefore be viewed and accessed only by the sponsoring employers and their legal representatives within the myUSCIS accounts – there is no way for the beneficiaries themselves to log in independently view the status of their case. Beneficiaries will therefore need to rely on updates from their employer regarding the status of their registration. Employers can provide selected beneficiaries with a copy of the selection notice downloaded from the myUSCIS account as confirmation.

If I’m not selected by March 31, does that mean I won’t get an H-1B visa this year?

Not necessarily. If a beneficiary is selected in the initial round, their status in the portal will update to “Selected.” If not, the status will remain “Submitted” — even after March 31 — because additional rounds of lottery selections may still take place later in the year.

Employers can file I-129 petitions for selected beneficiaries between April 1 and June 30. Since USCIS won’t know how many petitions have actually been filed until after June, they may conduct a second — or even third — lottery if there aren’t enough filings to reach the 85,000 cap. Historically, these additional rounds occur in late July and November.

No further action is needed from employers for these later draws — USCIS will pull from the same pool of unselected registrations submitted in March. Once the cap is officially met, USCIS will announce it and update any remaining “Submitted” statuses to “Not Selected” in the myUSCIS account.

What happens next if I am selected?

Your employer will have until June 30 to prepare and file the I-129 petition on your behalf, based on your selection. If you are in F-1 status with an OPT EAD expiring prior to June 30, your filing deadline is effectively the EAD expiration date instead of June 30 to be eligible for the cap-gap extension, so you should ensure your employer is aware of the earlier filing deadline.

What happens if I am not selected?

As discussed above, there may still be the possibility of being selected later this year in a subsequent round of selections. Since that is not guaranteed though, beneficiaries who are not selected by March 31 should begin planning for alternatives, if they have not done so already.

By: Rebecca Chen

Rebecca Chen is a Partner at Reddy & Neumann. Her representation includes advising clients throughout the non-immigrant and immigrant visa application process, from initial filing, responding to various requests for evidence, and processing at overseas consulates. Her years of experience in the immigration field have made her a knowledgeable resource for complex business immigration matters.