comments and subsequent review.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nFormer DHS official Doug Rand said, \u201cBut they are moving fast, so that could happen within the calendar year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In January 2021, just before the Biden administration took office, a similar wage-based selection system was introduced to replace the previous random lottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That system prioritized H-1B allocations based on wage levels, favoring those offered the highest salaries first: starting from Level 4 (most experienced) down to Level 1, until the annual cap of 85,000 visas was met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Biden administration froze this rule and it was later nullified by a court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The revived Trump proposal may closely resemble the 2021 wage-based model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rand noted, \u201cWhen the US Congress established the H-1B program in 1990 as a temporary work visa for professionals in \u2018specialty occupations\u2019, many of today\u2019s occupations didn\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are only 85,000 H-1B cap slots available per year, yet demand is 4-5 times higher, according to Rand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indians Dominate H-1B Visas in 2023, Far Outpacing Chinese Applicants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIndian nationals are the largest beneficiaries of H-1B visas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the fiscal year ending September 2023, Indians received 68,825 (58%) of the initial H-1B employment visas and 2.10 lakh (79%) of the extensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In contrast, Chinese nationals, the second-largest group, received 16,094 initial and 29,250 extension H-1B visas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore, any major change in the H-1B selection system would disproportionately affect Indian applicants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rand distinguished between long-term H-1B employers (like MNCs, startups, small businesses, and community hospitals) and short-term ones, including some unscrupulous staffing firms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rand warned, \u201cHeedless of this distinction, the Trump administration is about to (re)attempt a major change to the H-1B lottery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added, \u201cIt sounds reasonable at first to allocate scarce H-1Bs to the highest-paid workers in each occupation. But, this would be disastrous in practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While higher wages might drive out low-quality employers, Rand emphasized that long-term employers often hire early-career professionals, such as researchers, engineers, and doctors, who are fresh out of U.S. grad schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These entry-level professionals may be well-paid but usually don\u2019t fall in the highest wage tiers, and thus, would be excluded from the lottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Education experts noted that international students on Optional Practical Training (OPT)\u2014especially those in STEM fields with 3-year OPTs\u2014are generally hired at entry-level salaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imposing wage-based selection would make it harder for companies to hire them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Immigration lawyers believe the proposed rule would harm sectors like healthcare, scientific research, and hospital staffing, which rely on early-career foreign talent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Trump administration is developing a new rule to introduce a \u2018weighted selection process\u2019 for H-1B cap visas. In this process, weights would likely be based on the salary offered to the foreign national being sponsored by a U.S. employer. Trump Administration Proposes Salary-Based Weighted Lottery for H-1B Visas The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":1298115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[282,8339],"class_list":["post-1298106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-h1b-visa","tag-salary-linked"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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