The timeline: weeks you can plan, not a lottery you enter

The sequence

1. Today: paste a role. Matching is a human process measured in days, not a scraper's minutes.
2. Interest letter: when a candidate fits, your one page — minutes of your time, counsel review included.
3. Petition: assembled and filed on the candidate side. You are not in this step.
4. Decision: premium processing returns a USCIS decision in 15 calendar days from filing.
5. Start: ordinary offer and onboarding to a work-authorized person.

What there is none of

No March registration, no lottery odds, no April-to-October dead air. This year's H-1B cap closed on July 17, 2026; the next registration window is approximately March 2027. None of those dates constrain an O-1 hire.

Common questions