India, March 25 -- The initial H-1B visa registration for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 2026) officially closed on March 24, 2025. So, the big question is, what's next?

Now, if the number of registrations exceeds the annual cap, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will do a lottery to randomly select recipients. The results of the lottery are generally announced around the end of March or early April.

For those selected, employers can file full H-1B petitions starting April 1, 2025. The filing period generally lasts 90 days from the date of selection notification, which means it can run from April 1 to June 30, 2025.

Employment for approved applicants under FY2026 will begin on or after October 1, 2025.

If an applicant is not selec...