Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions

<RULE> DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY <CFR>8 CFR Part 214</CFR> <DEPDOC>[CIS No. 2847-26; DHS Docket No. USCIS-2025-0040]</DEPDOC> <RIN>RIN 1615-AD01</RIN> <SUBJECT>Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS. <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Final rule. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is amending its regulations governing the process by which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) selects H-1B registrations for unique beneficiaries for filing of H-1B cap-subject petitions (or H-1B petitions for any year in which the registration requirement is suspended). Through this rule, DHS is implementing a weighted selection process that will generally favor the allocation of H-1B visas to higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens, while maintaining the opportunity for employers to secure H-1B workers at all wage levels, to better serve the congressional intent for the H-1B program. This rule will be effective in time for the FY 2027 registration season. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> This final rule is effective February 27, 2026. </EFFDATE> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Business and Foreign Workers Division, Office of Policy and Strategy, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 5900 Capital Gateway Drive, Camp Springs, MD 20746; telephone (240) 721-3000 (not a toll-free call). </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Table of Contents</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">I. Executive Summary</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Purpose and Summary of the Regulatory Action</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Summary of Costs and Benefits</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. No Changes From the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Implementation</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">II. Background</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Legal Authority</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Background on H-1B Registration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Need for Regulatory Reform</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">III. Response to Public Comments on the Proposed Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Support for the Rule and DHS Justifications</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. General Support for the Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Protecting U.S. Workers and Wages</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Positive Impacts on Entry-Level Workers and Recent Graduates</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Positive Impacts on International Students and New Graduates</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Positive Impacts on Companies and the Economy</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Opposition to the Rule and Policy Objections</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. General Opposition to the Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Fairness and Equal Opportunity Concerns</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Negative Impacts on Companies, the Workforce, and the Economy</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Negative Impacts on National Security</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Negative Impacts on Entry-Level Workers and Recent Graduates</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. Negative Impacts on Mid-Level Workers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">7. Negative Impacts on International Students</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">8. Negative Impacts on STEM Fields</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">9. Negative Impacts on Academic Institutions</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">10. Negative Impacts on the Healthcare Sector</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">11. Negative Impacts on Rural or Underserved Communities</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">12. Negative Impacts on Small Businesses, Startups, and Nonprofits</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">13. Industry and Occupational Disparities</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">14. Geographic and Regional Disparities</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">15. Negative Impacts on Mixed Compensation Models</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">16. General Concerns on Wage-Based Selection</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">17. Concerns With the OEWS Program</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">18. Other Opposition</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Legal Authority, Basis, and Background</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Statutory Authority</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Congressional Intent</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Previous H-1B Rulemakings and Related Court Cases</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. DHS Background and Justification for the Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Concerns the Rule Is Arbitrary and Capricious</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. Other Legal Comments</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Proposed Changes to the Registration Process for H-1B Cap-Subject Petitions</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Proposed Weighted Selection Process</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Required Information From Petitioners</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. Process Integrity</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Certifying the Contents of the Registration and Consequences</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Potential Employer Wage Manipulation</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Consistency Between the Registration and the Petition</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Potential SOC Code Manipulation</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Potential Job Location Manipulation</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. Multiple Registrations</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">7. Related Entities</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">8. Other Comments Related to Process Integrity</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Other Issues Relating to the Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Alternatives to the Proposed Weighting Selection Process</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Effective Date and Implementation</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Processing Time Outlook</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Data and Transparency</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Comments Related to Presidential Proclamation 10973, Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers (September 19, 2025)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">G. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Administrative Procedure Act (APA)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Regulatory Impact Analysis and Benefits (E.O.s 12866 and 13563)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Methodology and Adequacy of the Cost-Benefit Analysis</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Costs</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Benefits</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. Transfers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">7. Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">8. Other Regulatory Requirements</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">H. Out of Scope</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">IV. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Executive Orders 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review), 13563 (Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review), and 14192 (Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Congressional Review Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Executive Order 12988 (Civil Justice Reform)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">G. Executive Order 13175 (Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">H. National Environmental Policy Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">I. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995</FP> </EXTRACT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Table of Abbreviations</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">AI—Artificial Intelligence</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">APA—Administrative Procedure Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">BLS—U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CBA—collective bargaining agreement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CFR—Code of Federal Regulations</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">COVID-19—Coronavirus Disease of 2019</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CPI-U—Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CRA—Congressional Review Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DHS—U.S. Department of Homeland Security</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DOW—U.S. Department of War</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DOL—U.S. Department of Labor</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">E.O.—Executive Order</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">EPA—U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ETA—Employment and Training Administration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FDNS—Fraud Detection and National Security</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FR—Federal Register</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FY—Fiscal Year</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">GDP—gross domestic product</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">HHS—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">HR—human resources</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">HSA—Homeland Security Act of 2002</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IIE—Institute of International Education</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IMG—International Medical Graduate</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">INA—Immigration and Nationality Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IRFA—Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IRS—U.S. Internal Revenue Service</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IT—information technology</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">LCA—Labor Condition Application</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">MSA—Metropolitan Statistical Area</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NAFSA—National Association of Foreign Student Advisers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NAICS—North American Industry Classification System</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NEPA—National Environmental Policy Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NPRM—notice of proposed rulemaking</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OEWS—Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OFLC—Office of Foreign Labor Certification</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OMB—Office of Management and Budget</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OPQ—Office of Performance and Quality</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OPT—Optional Practical Training</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PRA—Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Pub. L.—Public Law</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PWD—prevailing wage determination</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RFA—Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RIA—regulatory impact analysis</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1"> SBA—U.S. Small Business Administration </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">SCA—Service Contract Act</FP> <FP SOURC ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 651k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━