Donald Trump may replace H-1B lottery with wage-based selection process | World News

Days after hiking the fees for new H-1B applications to $100,000, the Donald Trump adminration has proposed to overhaul the visa process for high-skilled non-immigrant workers. The Trump adminration has suggested a wage-based selection process for the H-1B programme, instead of the current lottery system.ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO
Wage-based selection
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed to amend its regulations governing the process which the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) selects H-1B regrations for unique beneficiaries for filing of the H-1B cap.
The H-1B visa programme, which is limited to just 85,000 new slots each year. (File Photo)
According to the DHS proposal, the implementation of a weighted selection process would favour the allocation of H-1B visas to higher-skilled and higher-paid foreign workers.
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The new wage-based selection system, which was officially approved on August 8, 2025, is set to begin with FY 2027 selections in March 2026.
Four-tier wage system for H-1B visas
The US Department of Labour has a four-tier wage system for H-1B visas, where Level 1 is for entry-level workers, Level 2 for qualified professionals, Level 3 for experienced professionals, and Level 4 for highly specialised senior workers.
Under the wage-based selection process, Level 1 and Level 2 workers are unlikely to be considered for the H-1B visas, while the high-paying Level 3 and Level 4 workers would still be eligible.
How will this reduce immigration
This is yet another attempt the Trump adminration to discourage US companies from hiring low-paid, skilled foreign workers and limit them to only high-paid roles. This, the adminration feels, would encourage US companies to hire more Americans and thus solve one of the biggest complaints of the conservatives that the H-1B recipients displace American workers.Story continues below this ad
H-1B visa programme
The H-1B visa programme, which is limited to just 85,000 new slots each year, has been used predominantly the US tech industry to hire highly-skilled tech workers from countries like India.
H-1B visas are allocated based on a random selection process conducted USCIS to choose which employer regrations can move forward with filing a petition. Employers with online regrations selected in the annual lottery can move forward with filing a petition.
According to Bloomberg, attorneys have warned that the proposal to tie H-1B selection to wages was unlawful because the Immigration and Nationality Act calls for issuing visas in the order in which petitions are received.