Washington D.C.: The Donald Trump-led administration is moving to significantly reform the H1-B visa lottery system, proposing a shift towards a more weighted and wage-linked selection process. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) submitted a filing on this proposal to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on July 17.
The proposed changes aim to introduce a “weighted selection process” for the capped category of the H1-B system, which currently allocates 85,000 new visas annually. This includes 20,000 visas specifically reserved for applicants holding a Master’s degree or higher from a U.S. educational institution.
Reacting to the development on social media platform X, Tesla CEO Elon Musk offered a succinct, one-word response: “Great.” Musk has been a vocal critic of the current H1-B system, previously stating that the “program is broken and needs major reform” and pledging to “go to war on this issue.”
While the DHS filing has not yet provided exhaustive details on the proposed revamping of the program, the intention is to prioritize certain applicants based on additional criteria. This could involve a wage-linked selection method, which would favor highly-skilled professionals.
Currently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) allocates H1-B visas through a random lottery system, meaning all eligible applicants are on the same footing regardless of their specific skills or compensation. This often leads to large tech companies, which submit high volumes of applications, securing a disproportionate share of visas.
Indians have historically been the primary beneficiaries of the non-immigrant H1-B visa program. In recent years, they have consistently accounted for a significant majority, including 77 percent of the 320,000 approved visas in a recent period, and over 70 percent of approved visas in 2023.
The H1-B visa system has been a recurring point of debate between Donald Trump and his supporters, with his MAGA base often opposing Musk’s more pro-immigration stance. The proposed changes signal a renewed focus by the Trump administration on aligning the visa selection process with higher wage levels and prioritizing skilled talent, a concept that has been previously explored and debated.