30% selection chance in lottery (85K cap) STEM OPT extends to 36 months, but new $250 fee raises H-1B MRV to $472, with cap-gap allowing work until October 1 if selected.

Cap-exempt H-1B via nonprofit/university jobs boosts odds to 100%; new fee applies only post-selection, and FY2026 lottery uses beneficiary-centric allocation reducing duplicates—STEM graduates get 20K extra slots