The United States government under President Donald Trump has announced a major overhaul of the H-1B work visa programme, ending the decades-old random lottery system and replacing it with a new process that prioritises applicants based on skill level and wages, a move that is expected to reshape how foreign professionals gain entry into the US workforce.
In a final rule issued by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the random selection of H-1B registrations will be abandoned from February 27, 2026, ahead of the Fiscal Year 2027 H-1B cap registration season. Under the new framework, visas will not be picked purely by chance. Instead, a weighted system will be introduced that increases the likelihood of selection for applicants offered higher salaries and possessing higher skill levels, while still allowing opportunities for lower-paid roles albeit with reduced odds.
For decades, the H-1B programme — which has an annual cap of 65,000 visas, plus 20,000 additional slots for applicants with advanced US degrees — has relied on a random lottery to allocate visas when demand far outstripped supply. Indian professionals in particular have historically dominated the pool, often accounting for more than 70 per cent of successful applicants in recent years, largely due to the strong presence of Indian talent in the technology and engineering sectors.
The government has justified the radical change by arguing that the previous system had been susceptible to misuse by employers seeking to bring in foreign workers at lower wages than they would pay American workers. According to DHS and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials, the weighted system is meant to “better protect the wages, working conditions and job opportunities for American workers” and ensure that visas go to those with the highest economic value to the US labour market.
USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser reiterated that employers had been exploiting the random lottery to prioritise cheaper labour, undermining both American professionals and the original intent of the H-1B programme. By giving greater weight to high-paying, specialised roles, the administration says the reforms will align the visa process with broader economic priorities and strengthen competitiveness.
The reform is part of a wider suite of immigration changes pursued by the Trump administration, which also include a controversial $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions and the introduction of a $1 million “gold card” visa programme designed to attract wealthy individuals to the United States. Both these policies have stirred intense debate among industry stakeholders, advocacy groups and foreign professionals seeking work in the US.
Critics and industry experts have expressed concerns that the revised system may disproportionately affect entry-level and mid-career foreign professionals, particularly those from countries such as India where graduates and early-career IT workers rely heavily on the H-1B visa for opportunities in Silicon Valley and other tech hubs. By favouring higher wages as a central criterion, companies may be reluctant to sponsor lower-paid roles, narrowing the pool of foreign talent and reshaping hiring strategies across sectors.
Supporters of the move argue that rewarding high-skill, high-wage workers will lead to better outcomes for the US economy, prevent exploitation of foreign labour, and encourage companies to invest in domestic talent. However, the full impact of these sweeping changes will only become clear as the new system is implemented in the coming months and the 2026 registration season unfolds.
