You found the person, made the plan, and a random draw unmade it. Before the role goes back to square one, look at what their record supports.
This year's cap closed on July 17, 2026 with no second lottery. There is no re-entry until the next window, approximately March 2027 — and the draw will be a draw again. Meanwhile the person is real, the role is real, and both of you are staring at a calendar.
What does their record actually support? Specialists who reached the "we'll register you" stage often carry publications, competition results, patents, or production systems with public footprints — the raw material of an O-1 case. The lottery never asked; the O-1 does.
Nothing forfeits the H-1B later: register again when the window opens, with the person already working in O-1 status instead of waiting abroad.
