# H-1B Visa Guide: Lottery, Fees, Timeline and Visa Interviews for Russians

H-1B visa basics: $215 March registration, the weighted lottery, employer fees, the $100,000 payment in court, and where Russians interview for the visa.

An H-1B visa is a work status for professionals in a specialty occupation, and the employer files for it, not the worker. The job must normally require at least a bachelor's degree in a specific field. Most employers go through the March lottery: the cap is 65,000 slots plus 20,000 for holders of US master's degrees. Lottery-based H-1B work starts no earlier than October 1.

This guide follows what USCIS, the Department of Labor (DOL) and the US Embassy in Russia say as of October 28, 2026. The rules changed several times in 2025 and 2026, so check the official page before every step.

## Who qualifies: H-1B specialty occupation and degree

USCIS calls the job a specialty occupation. Both the position and the person have to fit:

- entry into the job normally requires a bachelor's or higher degree in a specific, directly related field, or its equivalent;
- the worker holds that degree (US or foreign equivalent), an unrestricted state license for the occupation, or equivalent education and experience.

A software degree will not support an accounting job; the field has to match. A degree from Russia, Ukraine or anywhere else has to be the equivalent of a US degree.

Before filing with USCIS, the employer gets a certified Labor Condition Application (LCA, Form ETA-9035 or ETA-9035E) from DOL. It is filed online through the FLAG system (paper only by rare exception), no more than 6 months before the job starts, and DOL reviews it within 7 working days. The employer must pay the higher of two amounts: what it pays similarly qualified workers, or the prevailing wage for the occupation in that area.

H-1B status lasts up to 3 years at first and up to 3 more on extension, 6 years in total. You can stay longer if an EB-1, EB-2 or EB-3 immigrant petition has been approved for you and the immigrant visa is not yet available because of the limits, or if at least 365 days have passed since a labor certification was filed.

## The H-1B registration and lottery in March

First the employer registers the worker online through a USCIS organizational account; a personal applicant account will not work. For fiscal year 2027 (jobs starting October 1, 2026), registration ran from March 4 to March 19, 2026.

What matters in H-1B registration:

- the fee is $215 per person and is not refunded;
- an employer may register a given person only once per year;
- the registration must include a valid passport number, country of issuance and expiration date, and entries like "NA" or "00000" make it invalid;
- selection is by person, not by registration: three employers registering you does not triple your chances.

Starting with fiscal year 2027, USCIS runs a weighted lottery based on the offered wage level on the four-level OEWS scale. A Level IV registration goes into the pool 4 times, Level III 3 times, Level II 2 times and Level I once. An entry-level offer now has a much lower chance than a senior one.

USCIS planned to notify selected registrants by March 31, and petitions could be filed from April 1, 2026, within the 90-day window on the selection notice. USCIS has announced that both the regular cap and the master's cap for fiscal year 2027 are reached. For scale, fiscal year 2026 had 343,981 eligible registrations.

## H-1B cap exempt employers

Some employers are not subject to the cap and skip the March lottery. USCIS lists:

- institutions of higher education;
- nonprofits affiliated with them;
- nonprofit research organizations;
- government research organizations.

For researchers and teachers this is often the realistic route. The catch: if you later move to an ordinary company, the new petition counts against the cap, which means a March registration and a start date of October 1 or later.

## H-1B fees and who pays them

The employer files Form I-129 (Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker) and pays the USCIS fees. Amounts from the G-1055 fee schedule:

| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Lottery registration | $215 per person |
| Form I-129, H-1B | $780 paper, $730 online |
| Form I-129, small employer or nonprofit | $460 |
| Asylum Program Fee | $600, small employer $300, nonprofit $0 |
| Fraud Prevention and Detection fee | $500 |
| ACWIA fee | $1,500 or $750, depending on headcount |
| Public Law 114-113 fee (50+ US staff, over half on H-1B or L-1) | $4,000 |
| Premium processing, Form I-907 | $2,965 |

Fees checked October 28, 2026 on uscis.gov (Form G-1055, edition 10/26/26).

The fraud fee applies to a worker's first H-1B and to a change of employer. Universities, their affiliated nonprofits, research organizations and schools are exempt from ACWIA. Since September 9, 2026, employers with 50 or more US employees, more than half on H-1B or L-1, also pay the 9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit fee.

### The $100,000 payment: where it stands

A presidential proclamation of September 19, 2025 added a $100,000 payment for certain new H-1B petitions filed from September 21, 2025. USCIS says it mainly covers people outside the US without a valid H-1B visa. It does not apply to visas already issued or to renewals, and it does not stop current H-1B holders from traveling.

On June 8, 2026, a federal court in Massachusetts vacated the DHS guidance on the payment, and on July 24, 2026 the First Circuit denied the government a stay. DHS says it is complying but will collect the payment if the order is lifted. Check the USCIS H-1B page before filing.

## Timeline from registration to October 1

| Step | When |
|---|---|
| Employer registration | March (FY2027: March 4-19, 2026) |
| Lottery results | by March 31 |
| LCA at DOL | up to 7 working days, no earlier than 6 months before the start |
| Form I-129 filing | from April 1, within the 90-day window on the notice |
| Job start | October 1 or later |

Timeline checked October 28, 2026 on uscis.gov and dol.gov.

For current petition processing times, see the [USCIS processing times page](https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/). Nobody can promise a date.

## H-1B for Russian citizens: where to get the visa

If you are already in the US in another lawful status, the employer can request a change of status to H-1B in the petition. If you are abroad, an approved petition is followed by a DS-160 and a consular interview.

The US Embassy in Moscow no longer offers non-diplomatic visa services, and the consulates in Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok are suspended. The embassy says Russian applicants for nonimmigrant visas, H-1B and H-4 included, should book in Warsaw, Poland, or Astana, Kazakhstan. The general State Department rule is to apply in your country of nationality or residence.

H-1B and H-4 applicants are also told to set all social media accounts to "public" for vetting. If you are job hunting from Russia, budget time and money for the trip. Our guide on [finding a job in the US as a Russian-speaking immigrant](/en/immigration/finding-job-usa-russian-immigrants) covers the search itself.

## H-1B transfer, family and the green card

**Changing employers.** The new employer files its own I-129. You can start once the petition is filed or on its requested start date, whichever is later, if you have not worked without authorization since your last entry and the petition is filed before your stay expires.

**Losing a job.** You may have up to 60 consecutive days (or less, if your approval ends sooner) to find a new employer, change status or leave.

**Family.** A spouse and unmarried children under 21 can get H-4 status. Certain H-4 spouses can apply for work authorization on Form I-765 once the H-1B worker has started the employment-based green card process.

**Green card.** USCIS itself links H-1B to the employment green card: an approved EB-1, EB-2 or EB-3 petition lets you extend H-1B past 6 years while the immigrant visa is not yet available. See our guide on [how to get a green card in the US](/en/immigration/how-to-get-green-card-usa).

Talk to an attorney if you have a prior visa or petition denial, an overstay, unauthorized work, a move from a university to a private company, or a case that may involve the $100,000 payment. Our [directory of Russian-speaking lawyers](/en/directory/lawyers) is a place to start.

## Questions people ask

### Can a worker file for an H-1B without an employer?

No. The employer submits the lottery registration and the Form I-129 petition through its USCIS organizational account. A personal applicant account cannot be used for H-1B registration. The worker supplies passport details and degrees, but the company is the petitioner.

### Where can a Russian citizen get an H-1B visa stamp?

The US Embassy in Moscow does not issue non-diplomatic visas. Russian citizens apply for nonimmigrant visas, including H-1B and H-4, at the US Embassy in Warsaw or in Astana. Someone who lives in another country can generally apply there, under the State Department's nationality or residence rule.

### How does the weighted H-1B lottery work?

Since fiscal year 2027, USCIS weights selection by the offered wage level. A Level IV registration enters the pool 4 times, Level III 3 times, Level II twice and Level I once. The registration fee stays $215 per person, and each person is selected only once.

### Do university jobs go through the H-1B lottery?

No. Universities, their affiliated nonprofits, and nonprofit or government research organizations are cap exempt and skip the March lottery. If the worker later moves to an ordinary company, that new petition counts against the cap and needs a March registration.

## Sources

- [USCIS: H-1B Specialty Occupations](https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/h-1b-specialty-occupations)
- [USCIS: H-1B Electronic Registration Process](https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations/h-1b-electronic-registration-process)
- [USCIS: H-1B Cap Season](https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models/h-1b-cap-season)
- [USCIS: H and L Filing Fees for Form I-129](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/all-forms/h-and-l-filing-fees-for-form-i-129-petition-for-a-nonimmigrant-worker)
- [USCIS: Form G-1055 Fee Schedule, edition 10/26/26](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/g-1055.pdf)
- [USCIS: H-1B FAQ on the Presidential Proclamation and the June 8, 2026 court order](https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/h-1b-faq)
- [DOL Office of Foreign Labor Certification: H-1B program and LCA filing](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/programs/h-1b)
- [DOL Wage and Hour Division: H-1B wage requirements](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/immigration/h1b)
- [U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Russia: Visas](https://ru.usembassy.gov/visas/)

Page: https://www.russiansinusa.com/en/immigration/h1b-work-visa-guide
Facts checked: 2026-10-28