H-1B Lottery
Odds Calculator
Explore your selection odds under the wage-weighted lottery.
1Select your job title
Loading occupation data…
2Select your SOC classification
A job title can fit more than one occupation. Choose the DOL classification that best matches your duties. Official occupation names and descriptions are shown in English.
3Select your work location
Select the state and county where the work will be performed.
4Your lottery odds
- SOC code
- Work location
| Wage level | Yearly salary | Selection odds | Lottery entries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 1 | ||
| Level 2 | 2 | ||
| Level 3 | 3 | ||
| Level 4 | 4 |
Adjust lottery registration projection
Explore how fewer registrations change the estimates. This is a scenario assumption, not a participation forecast.
DOL All Industries wage data: July 2026 – June 2027. Hourly wages are annualized using 2,080 hours. Estimates are not visa-approval probabilities or official wage determinations.
How we calculate
your lottery odds
Four steps behind the estimate. Adjust registration volume above to see how assumptions change your results.
Total registrations
Start with the reference scenario’s baseline, then adjust the size of the applicant pool.
343,000Baseline applicants in this scenario
Default volume75%Applicants at this setting257,250Explore 50% to 100% of the baseline with the registration slider.
Wage level distribution
The scenario divides applicants across four wage levels. Each level receives a different number of entries.
Level 140%Entries per person: 1
Level 242%Entries per person: 2
Level 311%Entries per person: 3
Level 47%Entries per person: 4
Total entry pool
Combine entries from every wage level. There are more entries than applicants because higher levels receive multiple entries.
Total entries =
(WL1 × 1) + (WL2 × 2)
+ (WL3 × 3) + (WL4 × 4)WL1–WL4 are the applicant counts at each wage level.
Selection probability
The model uses a selection parameter of 120,141 to estimate the chance per entry, then the chance of at least one selection.
P(selected) = 1 − (1 − f)w
f = 120,141 ÷ Total entries
w = entries per person (1–4)
Data sources and model assumptions
Occupation and wage data
The DOL dataset covers 848 occupations and 3,275 counties or equivalents for July 2026 – June 2027. Hourly wages use 2,080 hours per year. Unpublished levels are not inferred. View the wage data
Job-title suggestions help discovery; they do not determine your legal classification.
Scenario assumptions
The calculation reproduces the Ellis calculator’s displayed estimates. Its baseline, wage-level shares and selection parameter are historical assumptions, not current USCIS counts or a forecast. Ellis
This ticket-pool approximation does not simulate unique-beneficiary selection or separately model the U.S. advanced-degree exemption. Actual composition, targets and rounds can differ.
Which wage level applies
Under the final DHS rule, USCIS uses the lowest wage level across all registrations for a beneficiary. The lowest applicable level also governs multiple worksites. Confirm the level with your petitioning employer. Final DHS rule
Salary bands are comparisons, not eligibility determinations. Selection estimates are not visa-approval probabilities. No personal information is submitted by this calculator.