Donald Trump’s administration is set to scrap the H1B visa lottery system in the United States of America, a move that will likely impact thousands of Indians. The longstanding H-1B work visa lottery system in the US will be replaced with a new, weighted approach that prioritises skilled and higher-paid foreign workers. This move will make it significantly harder for entry-level professionals to secure work visas.
According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) page, the H1B visa nonimmigrant classification applies to people who wish to perform services in a speciality occupation, services of exceptional merit and ability relating to a Department of Defence (DOD) cooperative research and development project, or services as a fashion model of distinguished merit or ability.
The Department of Homeland Security, on December 23, announced a final rule to amend regulations governing the process by which USCIS selects H-1B registrations for unique beneficiaries for filing of H-1B cap-subject petitions. This final rule is effective Feb. 27, 2026, and will be in place for the FY 2027 H-1B cap registration season.
Visa Hike
President Trump has long been critical of the current H1-B visa system that offers work permits for hundreds of thousands of people in the US on a regular basis. In September, Trump decided to hike the cost for an H-1B visa to $100,000. Until now, H-1B visa fees generally ranged between $2,000 and $5,000, depending on various factors. On Tuesday, a U.S. judge upheld the Trump administration’s authority to attach a six-figure charge on visas for high-skilled workers, the Politico reported.
“The lawfulness of the Proclamation and its implementation rests on a straightforward reading of congressional statutes giving the President broad authority to regulate entry into the United States for immigrants and nonimmigrants alike,” D.C. District Judge Beryl Howell, an appointee of Barack Obama, wrote in a 56-page decision, according to the Politico article.
However, the Hindustan Times reports that the H-1B visa fee will not apply to international students who are transitioning from a student status (F-1) to a work status (H-1B). The fee is only targeted at companies that are bringing early career workers directly from other countries to the US for work.
(with inputs from Reuters)
