By Admin 
In America, the Donald Trump administration has announced the abolition of the old random lottery system for H-1B work visas. Instead, a new ‘weighted selection’ system will be introduced, which will give priority to more skilled and higher paid foreign workers. This change has been made to improve the salaries, jobs and working conditions of American workers.
Notification of new rules issued
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have issued this new rule on Tuesday. USCIS spokesperson Matthew Treasurer said, ‘By taking advantage of the old random lottery system, many American companies were bringing in low-wage foreign workers, who were willing to work for less money than American workers.’
What changes will occur after the implementation of the new rules?
- Now visa selection will not be random, but will be weighted.
- Weight will be given in selection on the basis of salary level. Applicants with job offers with higher salaries will have more chances.
- There will be 4 wage levels decided by the Department of Labor (DOL). 1 entry at lowest level, 4 entries at highest level. This will benefit high-paid and high-skilled workers.
- The annual cap will remain the same i.e. a total of 85,000 H-1B visas (65,000 for general + 20,000 for advanced degrees).
- This rule will come into effect from February 27, 2026 and will start from the H-1B cap registration season of fiscal year 2027.
Why did the Trump government take this decision?
The Trump administration says that the old system was being misused. Companies used to bring foreign workers at low salaries by showing entry-level jobs, even if they had more experience. This affected the jobs and salaries of American workers. The new system is under the America First policy, which will promote high-skilled talent.
What will be the impact on Indian workers?
Indian professionals are the largest users of H-1B visas. This change will make it difficult for entry-level or low-paid young Indians to get visas. At the same time, experienced workers in high-paid and senior roles will benefit. This year, Amazon was the company taking the highest number of H-1B visas (10,000+), followed by TCS, Microsoft, Apple and Google.