Trump Administration Proposes New H-1B Visa Process To Favour Skilled, Better-Paid Workers

The Trump administration on Tuesday has released a new proposal that would update the H-1B visa selection process in favour of the skilled and better-paid workers, reported news agency Reuters, quoting Federal Register notice. This move follows the introduction of a $1,00,000 fee for the visas.

If the new process is finalised, then it would add weight to applications by the employers that would pay high wages if the annual request for the visas exceeds the limit of 85,000. The move, according to the notice, is to protect Americans from unfair wage competition from foreign workers.

US President Donald Trump in January launched a wide-ranging immigration crackdown. He pushed for mass deportations and tried to block citizenship for children of immigrants in the US illegally. Recently he intensified the focus on the H-1B program.

Trump last week signed a sweeping proclamation imposing a new $100,000 annual fee for H-1B visa applications. The new measure requires US companies to pay $100,000 per year to sponsor each H-1B worker, a sharp increase from previous fees that typically ranged from $1,700 to $4,500.

The changes pose substantial new costs for major tech employers such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Meta etc., which rely heavily on international talent to fill specialised roles.

Last year, Indian citizens accounted for 71% of all H-1B approvals as per official data, meaning the visa hike will especially affect Indian technology workers and their sponsoring U.S. companies. Currently, the visas are valid for three years and can be renewed for another three years.

White House staff secretary Will Scharf said the H1B non-immigrant visa programme is one of the “most abused visa” systems in the country’s current immigration system, and it is supposed to allow highly skilled labourers, who work in fields that Americans don't work in, to come into the United States.

The Trump administration said that the $100,000 fee is aimed at ensuring that the people being brought into the country are “actually very highly skilled” and do not replace American workers.