Your H-1B lottery odds
Estimate your chance of selection this year, and cumulatively across multiple attempts. Since FY2025 the lottery is beneficiary-centric: one entry per person, no matter how many employers register you.
FY2026: 118,660 selected of 336,153 unique beneficiaries (USCIS). Past rates do not guarantee future ones.
Under the beneficiary-centric system, multiple employers registering you does NOT raise your odds - each person is entered once. Cumulative odds assume each year is independent at the same rate. Estimates only, not a prediction or legal advice.
So the part you control is landing the offer first, at a company that actually sponsors. We apply for you every week until you land an offer: a person picks roles you fit, tailors your real resume to each one, applies only to employers that have sponsored H-1B, and sends you a weekly report. Placement plan is $200 a month, and the placement fee is charged only once you are hired.
By field: data science · software engineering · data and business analyst · mechanical engineering · internships (CPT)
More free tools: STEM OPT timeline · H-1B lottery odds · Cap-exempt checker · OPT day calculator · Sponsor shortlist
Updated September 2026. Estimates only, not legal advice.
What are the chances of getting picked in the H-1B lottery this year?
In the most recent lottery with full published numbers, FY2026, USCIS selected 118,660 of 336,153 unique beneficiaries. That is about a 35% chance per person, the highest in five years. In FY2025 it was about 29%. USCIS posts each new season's numbers on its H-1B cap season page, and selection rules can change, so check the current rule before registration opens.
Why the odds went up
Since FY2025 the lottery is beneficiary-centric. Each person is entered once, no matter how many employers register them. Before that, some people were registered by many employers, which crowded out everyone else. Having several employers register you no longer raises your odds.
Your odds over several years
Chance of being selected at least once, assuming each year is independent at the same rate:
| Yearly selection rate | 1 year | 2 years | 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35% (FY2026 actual) | 35% | 58% | 73% |
| 29% (FY2025 actual) | 29% | 50% | 64% |
| 25% (conservative) | 25% | 44% | 58% |
| 20% (pessimistic) | 20% | 36% | 49% |
A STEM OPT student who starts working on OPT can often get three lottery tries before their work authorization ends.
Do master's degree holders have better odds?
Somewhat. If you have a US master's degree or higher, you are entered in the regular 65,000 cap first. If you are not picked there, you get a second chance in the separate 20,000 advanced degree pool.
If you are not selected
You can register again next year as long as you still have status, for example through remaining OPT or STEM OPT time. Cap-exempt employers, such as universities and affiliated nonprofits, can hire on H-1B without the lottery. Check any employer with the cap-exempt checker.
The part you control: an employer ready to register you
The lottery only matters once an employer agrees to register you. That means landing the job first, at a company that actually sponsors.
We apply for you every week until you land an offer: a person picks roles you fit, tailors your real resume to each one, applies only to employers that have sponsored H-1B, and sends you a weekly report. Placement plan is $200 a month, and the placement fee is charged only once you are hired.
By field: data science · software engineering · data and business analyst · mechanical engineering · internships (CPT)
Source: USCIS H-1B electronic registration process data. Past rates do not guarantee future ones.