Since the March 2026 registration, the H-1B lottery gives each registration 1 to 4 entries based on the wage level of the offer. Enter your job, city and salary to see your level, your entries and what it would take to reach the next one.
Your offer
JobPick the closest match. Employers file under these government job codes.
Where you'll workFor remote jobs, use where you'll live and work from.
Pick a job and a place to see the four wage levels, then add the salary to see which one your offer reaches.
The Department of Labor publishes four wage levels for every occupation in every metro area. Your employer's registration is placed in the level your offered salary meets or beats, and each level gets that many entries in the selection pool:
Wage level
Typical experience
Entries
Level IV
Fully competent, senior
4
Level III
Experienced
3
Level II
Qualified, some experience
2
Level I
Entry level
1
So a Level IV registration is four times as likely to be picked as a Level I registration in the same pool. DHS estimated the chance of selection at about 15% for Level I, 31% for Level II, 46% for Level III and 61% for Level IV. Most new grads are offered Level I or II, which is why the same salary can mean very different odds in San Francisco and in Dallas.
Ways to improve your chances
Negotiate across a level line. If you're a few thousand dollars below the next level, that raise is worth more than its size.
Look at location. The levels are set per metro area. The same job and pay can land a level higher in a lower-cost area.
Pick employers that file at higher levels. Each company's visa page shows how a company's filings split across the four levels.
Questions people ask
How does the weighted H-1B lottery work?
Each registration is entered into the selection pool 1 to 4 times, based on the wage level of the offered salary for the job's occupation code and work location: Level I gets 1 entry, Level II gets 2, Level III gets 3 and Level IV gets 4. It replaced the purely random lottery starting with the March 2026 registration.
What are the four wage levels?
The Department of Labor publishes four prevailing wage levels for every occupation and metro area, updated each July. Roughly, Level I is entry level, Level II qualified, Level III experienced and Level IV fully competent. They come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey.
What if I'll work in more than one place?
If the job has several worksites, the registration uses the lowest wage level among them, and a person registered by several employers is placed at the lowest level among those registrations. Remote workers use the area they will actually work from.
What are my actual odds?
DHS's estimate in the final rule is about 15% for a Level I registration, 31% for Level II, 46% for Level III and 61% for Level IV. USCIS hasn't published actual selection rates by level for FY2027, but registrations fell 38.5% that year (211,600 eligible registrations), so real odds were likely higher than the estimate.
Does a higher salary always mean better odds?
Only when it crosses into the next level for your job and area. A raise that stays inside the same level changes nothing. The calculator shows the exact amount needed for the next level.
Can my employer just pick a different job code?
The occupation code has to match the actual duties of the job. Choosing a code to land on a higher level when the duties don't fit can get a petition denied, so the job description matters.
Is there a way to skip the lottery entirely?
Yes. Universities, their affiliated nonprofits and nonprofit or government research organizations are cap-exempt and can sponsor any time of year. If you already hold H-1B status counted against the cap, changing employers doesn't go through the lottery either.
Sources: DOL OFLC Online Wage Library (OEWS prevailing wages, July to June wage year); DHS final rule on weighted selection for H-1B cap registrations, 90 FR 60864 (Dec 29, 2025, effective Feb 27, 2026); USCIS FY2027 registration figures. Not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with your DSO, your employer or an immigration attorney.