<p>Transient infiltration in unsaturated soil significantly influences the evolution of suction stress, which in turn affects the stability of geotechnical structures. This study presents a comprehensive investigation of the bearing capacity of strip footings located at the top of vertical cuts, accounting for the spatiotemporal variation of suction stress induced by transient flow. The effects of soil anisotropy, resulting from preferential particle orientation, were incorporated into a finite element lower bound limit analysis using an iterative framework. Suction stress distribution was quantified for various soil types, revealing distinct profiles governed by pore-size distribution parameters. Unlike conventional approaches, this study integrated the actual variation in unit weight within the unsaturated zone. Results highlight a complex interdependence of pore structure, infiltration duration, water table depth, and suction stress anisotropy. For clayey soils, bearing capacity was found to decrease with decreasing water table depth and increasing infiltration time. In contrast, silty soils exhibited no uniform trend, where the responses were highly sensitive to the combination of water table depth, infiltration rate, and soil hydraulic properties. The findings emphasize the importance of accounting for transient hydro-mechanical behaviour and suction stress anisotropy in the analysis of footings located at the top of a vertical slope.</p>