USCIS announced the FY 2026 H-1B lottery results on March 31, selecting 120,141 candidates to move forward in the process. All selected applicants have been notified and instructed to submit their full H-1B petitions by June 30.
However, the question remains: will these petitions be enough to fill the 85,000 H-1B visa cap? Or, just like in the last two years, will USCIS need to conduct a second lottery to meet the full quota?
In this blog, we’ll explore possible reasons and review previous years trends to assess the likelihood of a second H-1B lottery for FY 2026.
Why Will USCIS Conduct an H1B Second Lottery for FY 2026?
The primary reason USCIS may hold a second H-1B lottery for FY 2026 is if USCIS does not get enough eligible petitions to fill the complete visa cap after the initial round. During the petition review process, USCIS may encounter various issues that lead to petition denials, such as:
- Incomplete or missing supporting documents
- Missing Labor Condition Applications (LCAs)
- Incorrect wage levels or job descriptions
- Inaccurate details about the employee or employer
These shortcomings ultimately result in the rejection of H1B visa petitions, which requires the USCIS to conduct a second H1B lottery to meet the H1B visa cap.
Consecutive Second-Round H-1B Lotteries: FY 2024 and FY 2025
Over the past two fiscal years, USCIS conducted second-round H-1B lotteries to ensure the complete H1B visa cap is met.
For FY 2025, the initial lottery results were announced on March 31, with 120,603 applicants selected to submit their H-1B petitions. However, during the petition review process, USCIS found that the number of qualified petitions was insufficient to meet the cap.
As a result, a second lottery was officially announced on July 30, offering renewed hope to many applicants who weren’t picked initially.
Source- USCIS*
Similarly, for FY 2024, USCIS had initially selected 110,791 applicants to submit H1B visa petitions. During the H1B visa petition adjudication, USCIS realized they would be required to conduct an H1B second lottery to meet the remaining H1B visa cap. Later, USCIS released a notice on July 27th confirming it would conduct the H1B second round lottery.
Source- USCIS*
In both years, H1B second lotteries gave fresh hope to thousands of applicants who had missed out in the first round.
Possibilities of H1B Second Lottery 2026
USCIS has shortlisted comparatively less candidates from the previous fiscal year to complete the H1B quota for FY 2026. Last year, USCIS selected 135,137 candidates in two H1B lottery rounds to allocate H1B visas.
In contrast, USCIS has selected only 120,141 this time, 11.1% less than the previous year. This suggests that USCIS may conduct an H1B second lottery for FY 2026 to complete the H1B visa quota.
H1B Lottery 2026 Second Round Date
As seen above, USCIS announced the second-round H1B lottery date for FY 2024 and FY 2025 in the last week of July. This year, depending on the completion of the first-round H1B visa adjudication, USCIS may announce the date in the last week of July only or early August.
How To Check H1B Second Lottery Results?
You can easily check the H1B second lottery result through the USCIS case status page. You just need to enter the receipt number, a unique 13-character identifier consisting of three letters and 10 numbers. Once you enter the receipt number followed by the captcha, you need to click the ‘check status’ button, and the result will be displayed.
Conclusion
Looking at the trends from FY 2024 and FY 2025, it is clear that when the number of approved petitions does not meet the full H-1B visa cap, USCIS is likely to hold a H1B second lottery to meet the H1B visa cap.
Applicants who are not selected in the H1B lottery first round this year may remain hopeful for the H1B second round lottery. USCIS may announce an H1B second lottery in the last week of July after adjudicating the first round of H1B visa petitions.
Do keep monitoring your case through the USCIS case status online tool.
Good Luck!
