When to Start Your Job Search for the FY2028 H-1B Lottery: A Month-by-Month Plan for OPT Students

The FY2028 lottery window is not announced yet, but no employer can register you without a real job offer, so your practical target lands weeks before March.

Part of our guide to the H-1B lottery.

Start your job search for the FY2028 H-1B lottery now, in November 2026, and treat February 2027 as the month your sponsoring offer should be signed, with title, worksite and salary settled. Status as of November 1, 2026: FY2028 H-1B registration is not announced. March 2027 is an expectation only, and USCIS must announce the window at least 30 days ahead. An employer can register you only for a bona fide job offer, and wage-weighted selection, in effect since 2026-02-27, means the salary you agree to also sets how many entries you get.

Status board (as of 2026-11-01)

• In effect: wage-weighted selection (since 2026-02-27); cap-gap to April 1 of the fiscal year requested, for cap-subject change-of-status petitions only; OPT unemployment limits of 90 days, or 150 in total with STEM OPT.
• Not announced: the FY2028 window and fee. FY2027 ran March 4-19, 2026 at $215 per registration.
• Proposed, not law: the $103,265 cap-subject fee, DOL's prevailing-wage rule, and the OPT fee rule (the school would pay, and could pass the cost on; comments close 2026-11-09). "Reforming the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program" (RIN 1615-AD00) has been under OIRA review since 2026-08-24, unpublished.
• Blocked: collection of the $100,000 H-1B payment (Proclamation 11069 stands on paper), and the duration-of-status rule, so the F-1 60-day grace period still applies.

When should you start your job search for the H-1B lottery?

Start in November 2026 if you want to be in the FY2028 H-1B lottery. Registration is expected in March 2027 but not yet announced, and your employer can submit one only for a bona fide job offer. Working back from that, plan to accept an offer, with salary and worksite agreed, by about mid-February 2027.

February is a planning target, not a legal deadline. Three things push it earlier than the week before the window:

• The announcement can come late. USCIS must give at least 30 calendar days' notice (8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(A)(3)). If the window opens in early March, as FY2027's did on March 4, the announcement could land in early February (our arithmetic). The H-1B Electronic Registration Process page promises only "a minimum of 14 calendar days" of registration; FY2027's ran from March 4 to March 19.
• Your employer has prep work. It must decide to sponsor, brief its attorney, set the occupation code, worksite and wage level, and collect your passport details. Some employers set an internal cutoff earlier than USCIS's; ask for theirs.
• The registration fixes your wage level. Salary and title negotiation has to finish before it goes in (see the wage section).

Is there a legal "offer by" deadline?

No rule names a date; the offer has to exist when your employer registers you. The weighted-selection rule codifies that "a valid registration must represent a bona fide job offer" (8 CFR 214.2(h)(10)(ii)), and DHS's preamble describes that as an offer "that exists as described on the registration and petition and in which the employer intends to employ the beneficiary" (final rule text). An offer accepted after the window closes misses FY2028, and the next registration helps only if OPT, STEM OPT or student status still carries you there.

FY2028 H-1B registration dates: announced vs. expected

Cap-season milestones, as of 2026-11

The FY2027 cap was reached with no second selection (Mintz, 2026-07-20), so plan as if March is the only draw. For registration mechanics in depth, see our FY2028 registration dates explainer and the H-1B lottery calendar.

A month-by-month plan from November 2026 to October 2027

Job-search and visa checkpoints for FY2028, as of 2026-11

Ask about sponsorship early and check an employer's record in the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, which now says it covers FY2009 through FY2026 Q4. Look at first decisions on initial-employment petitions, which include first-time H-1B hires like you.

If you finish in December, USCIS's OPT page sets the window: as early as 90 days before your degree ends, within 30 days of your DSO's recommendation, and no later than 60 days after completion. You "may not begin" OPT until the I-765 is approved. On the processing-times tool, 80% of F-1 student I-765s were completed within 5 months (read 2026-11-01); premium processing costs $1,780 for a 30-business-day target. Our reading is that an employer can register you while OPT is pending, because registration turns on the offer, not on current employment; confirm with the employer's attorney.

How does wage-weighted selection change your offer conversation?

Since 2026-02-27, USCIS enters each unique beneficiary into the selection pool once at Level I and up to four times at Level IV, based on the highest OEWS wage level the offered salary meets for the job's occupation code and work location. The salary and worksite you agree to in February are part of your lottery entry. A higher level adds entries; it never guarantees selection.

What the rule text says, in candidate terms:

• Entries: Level IV four, Level III three, Level II two, Level I one, including for the master's (advanced-degree) cap. If the offered wage sits below OEWS Level I because the employer relies on another legitimate wage source, the registration must select Level I.
• Several worksites take the lowest level. The registrant "must select the lowest corresponding OEWS wage level" the salary meets. Our reading: a home office used for remote work is one of those worksites.
• Several registrations take the lowest level. "USCIS will assign each unique beneficiary to the lowest OEWS wage level among all registrations submitted on the beneficiary's behalf" (8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(A)(4)(ii)). A second employer's lower-level registration can cost you entries.
• The petition must match. Form I-129 must carry the same position information and SOC code as the selected registration and a wage at or above the prevailing wage for the registered level, and USCIS "may deny or revoke" one that does not (8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(D)(1)).

For scale, USCIS's chart ends at FY2026, the last unweighted draw: 343,981 eligible registrations and 120,141 selections. Our new-grad guide to the wage-weighted lottery shows how levels work for entry-level offers. Never ask for a title or salary the job does not support: registrations are attested under penalty of perjury, and petitioners must document the basis for the wage level.

Before your employer registers you

1. Confirm with HR in writing that the company will submit an FY2028 registration for you, and its internal offer deadline.
2. Ask which job title, duties and SOC code the attorney will use, since Form I-129 must match the registration.
3. List every worksite, including a home office.
4. Look up the levels for that SOC code and area in DOL's OFLC Wage Search and see where your salary falls.
5. Send your passport details to the attorney, and say whether you hold a US master's and whether another employer may also register you.
6. Ask your DSO how cap-gap would meet your EAD end date and, if STEM-eligible, when a STEM OPT Form I-765 would be due.
7. Check the USCIS H-1B Electronic Registration Process page weekly from January.

Where are you on November 1, 2026? Find your real deadline

Your situation and FY2028, as of 2026-11

Weighing the cap-exempt route? Read why cap-gap does not cover cap-exempt petitions first.

How many lottery chances do you get on STEM OPT?

Count the March windows that fall while you are in F-1 status with a sponsoring offer. Post-completion OPT lasts up to 12 months and the STEM OPT extension adds 24, so many STEM graduates see about three cap seasons.

A hypothetical (future windows assume the March pattern holds): you finish a STEM master's on December 18, 2026, your OPT is approved in time to start February 1, 2027 and runs to January 31, 2028, and STEM OPT runs to January 31, 2030. That gives March 2027 (FY2028) on OPT, then March 2028 and March 2029 on STEM OPT. USCIS says a STEM I-765 filed before the OPT EAD expires extends work authorization automatically for 180 days while it is pending. By March 2030 STEM OPT has ended; a petition filed in the 60-day grace period would extend status but not work authorization. Our three-attempt STEM OPT guide covers each season; your DSO can check the count against your own I-20 and EAD.

What happens to your OPT if you're selected?

Selection alone changes nothing. If your employer files a timely cap-subject petition requesting a change of status, cap-gap extends your F-1 status and OPT work authorization to April 1 of the fiscal year requested, which is April 1, 2028 for FY2028, or to the petition start date if earlier.

The USCIS cap-gap page adds conditions: the petition must be filed while your F-1 duration-of-status admission is in effect, on a valid selected registration for you. Students who file during the 60-day grace period get the status extension but "are not authorized to work." Cap-gap ends if the petition is denied, withdrawn, revoked or rejected. Our cap-gap extension guide has the full mechanics.

If you are not selected, OPT continues to its end date. The duration-of-status rule has been blocked by a federal court since 2026-09-14 (summary judgment briefed; DHS's appeal pending), so the 60-day grace period after OPT still applies. Unemployment days count from your OPT start date for each day without employer information (SEVIS Help Hub).

The $100,000 payment is not being collected as of 2026-11-01: courts vacated the agency guidance that implements it, though USCIS's I-129 page says that if the order "is later lifted, DHS still plans to collect the payment." Even then, its H-1B page (dated 2026-09-21) excludes a change of status granted inside the US, the usual OPT route; a denied change of status or a consular-notification petition would be covered.

Common mistakes

• Treating March 2027 as announced. It is an expectation; watch the USCIS page.
• Waiting for the announcement to start applying. That can leave about a month, minus your employer's prep time.
• Expecting a late registration. The bona fide offer must exist when the registration is submitted.
• Forgetting that a second registration counts. USCIS assigns you the lowest level among all registrations for you, so tell each employer's attorney about the other.
• Agreeing to a lower salary after registration. The petition wage must meet the prevailing wage for the registered level.
• Assuming cap-gap covers a university job or ends October 1. It covers cap-subject change-of-status petitions only, up to April 1 of the fiscal year requested.
• Burning unemployment days while you wait. The 90-day (150 with STEM OPT) count does not reset.

Frequently asked questions

When is the FY2028 H-1B registration?

As of November 1, 2026, USCIS has not announced it. March 2027 is an expectation based on past cycles, not a published date. USCIS must announce the window at least 30 calendar days before it opens, and the FY2027 window ran March 4 to 19, 2026 with a $215 fee per registration.

Do I need a job offer before the H-1B lottery?

Yes. You cannot register yourself. A prospective employer submits the registration and attests that it reflects a bona fide job offer, so the offer has to exist before the employer registers you and before the window closes. A practical target is an accepted offer, with title, worksite and salary settled, by about February 2027.

Can my employer register me if I start work after March?

Generally yes. Registration requires a bona fide job offer from that employer, not that you are already on its payroll. The same employer must later file the petition with the same position information, including the SOC code, and a selected registration cannot be transferred to another employer. Confirm your facts with the employer's immigration attorney.

How many lottery chances do I get on STEM OPT?

It depends on how many March registration windows fall while you are in F-1 status and have a sponsoring offer. Post-completion OPT lasts up to 12 months and the STEM extension adds 24, so many STEM graduates see about three cap seasons, each needing a new registration. Your DSO can check the dates on your EAD and I-20.

What happens to my OPT if I'm selected?

Selection alone changes nothing. If your employer files a timely cap-subject petition requesting a change of status, cap-gap extends your F-1 status and OPT work authorization to April 1, 2028 for FY2028, or to the petition start date if earlier. Cap-exempt petitions get no cap-gap, and grace-period filers get status but not work authorization.

Sources

• USCIS, H-1B Electronic Registration Process (updated 2026-09-21)
• Federal Register, Weighted Selection Process for cap-subject H-1B registrants (2025-12-29; govinfo text)
• USCIS, Cap-gap extension of OPT and F-1 status (updated 2025-01-17)
• USCIS, OPT for F-1 students and STEM OPT extension
• USCIS, Form I-129, H-1B Specialty Occupations, H-1B Employer Data Hub and processing times
• SEVP, SEVIS Help Hub unemployment counter
• DOL, OFLC Wage Search
• CourtListener, Presidents' Alliance v. United States docket (duration-of-status rule); Mintz, FY2027 cap reached (2026-07-20)

How we checked this: we read the USCIS registration, cap-gap, OPT, STEM OPT, H-1B and I-129 pages, the weighted-selection rule text on govinfo and the SEVIS Help Hub on 2026-11-01 and 2026-11-02, and checked court and rulemaking status against the court docket and reginfo.gov.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your own I-20, EAD and USCIS notices govern; ask your DSO about OPT, STEM OPT and SEVIS, and a licensed immigration attorney about your H-1B petition and status strategy.

If you want help building a sponsor-focused pipeline before the next registration window, F1Jobs works with F-1, OPT and STEM OPT job seekers on exactly this kind of search.