WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday it is replacing its longtime lottery system for H-1B Work Visa with a new approach that prioritizes skilled, high-wage foreign workers.
The change follows a series of actions by the Trump administration to overhaul a visa program that critics say has become a conduit for foreign workers willing to work for lower wages, but supporters say it encourages innovation.
“The existing random selection process for H-1B filings has been used and abused by U.S. employers who primarily sought to import foreign workers at lower wages than they would pay U.S. workers,” said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Matthew Tragesser.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed the proclamation introducing an annual H-1B visa fee of US$100,000 for highly skilled workers, which challenge in court. The president also introduced a US$1 million “gold card” as a path to US citizenship for wealthy individuals.
The press release announcing the new rule said it was “consistent with other key changes made by the administration, such as Presidential Proclamation it requires employers to pay an additional $100,000 per visa as a condition of eligibility.”
Historically, H-1B visas were awarded through a lottery. Amazon was the top recipient this year with over 10,000 visas approved, followed by Tata Consultancy Services, Microsoft, Apple and Google. California has the highest concentration of H-1B workers.
According to a press release on Tuesday, the new system will “introduce a weighted selection process that will increase the likelihood that H-1B visas will be issued to more highly skilled and highly compensated” foreign workers. It will take effect on February 27, 2026 and will apply to the upcoming H-1B registration season.
Supporters H-1B Program they say this is an important route to recruiting healthcare workers and teachers. They say it spurs innovation and economic growth in the U.S. and allows employers to fill jobs in specialized fields.
Critics argue that visas are often issued for entry-level positions rather than management positions that require specialized skills. While the program aims to prevent wage suppression or layoffs of American workers, critics say companies may pay lower wages by classifying jobs with the lowest skill levels, even if the workers hired have more experience.
The number of new visas issued annually is capped at 65,000, plus an additional 20,000 for people with a master's degree or higher.
