By JOEY CAPPELLETTI
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Division of Homeland Safety stated Tuesday it was changing its longstanding lottery system for H-1B work visas with a brand new strategy that prioritizes expert, higher-paid overseas employees.
The change follows a sequence of actions by the Trump administration geared toward reshaping a visa program that critics say has turn out to be a pipeline for abroad employees keen to work for decrease pay, however supporters say drives innovation.
“The prevailing random choice technique of H-1B registrations was exploited and abused by U.S. employers who had been primarily looking for to import overseas employees at decrease wages than they’d pay American employees,” stated U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Providers spokesman Matthew Tragesser.
Earlier this 12 months, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 annual H-1B visa charge on extremely expert employees, which is being challenged in courtroom. The president additionally rolled out a $1 million “gold card” visa as a pathway to U.S. citizenship for rich people.
A press launch asserting the brand new rule says it’s “according to different key adjustments the administration has made, such because the Presidential Proclamation that requires employers to pay an extra $100,000 per visa as a situation of eligibility.”
Traditionally, H-1B visas have been awarded by a lottery system. This 12 months, Amazon was by far the highest recipient, with greater than 10,000 visas authorised, adopted by Tata Consultancy Providers, Microsoft, Apple and Google. California has the best focus of H-1B employees.
The brand new system will “implement a weighted choice course of that may improve the likelihood that H-1B visas are allotted to higher-skilled and higher-paid” overseas employees, in keeping with Tuesday’s press launch. It’s going to go into impact Feb. 27, 2026, and can apply to the upcoming H-1B cap registration season.
Supporters of the H-1B program say it is a crucial pathway to hiring healthcare employees and educators. They are saying it drives innovation and financial development within the U.S. and permits employers to fill jobs in specialised fields.
Critics argue that the visas usually go to entry-level positions reasonably than senior roles requiring specialised expertise. Whereas this system is meant to stop wage suppression or the displacement of U.S. employees, critics say corporations will pay decrease wages by classifying jobs on the lowest talent ranges, even when the employees employed have extra expertise.
The variety of new visas issued yearly is capped at 65,000, plus an extra 20,000 for folks with a grasp’s diploma or greater.
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