The first H-1B lottery (FY 2027) held under the second Donald Trump administration this year saw selection rates jump to "unseen levels", Bloomberg Law reported, citing data from immigration firms. This was the first lottery that was based on wage levels and also after the administration imposed a $100,000 fee for H-1B applications. The USCIS has not released the official data on how many registrations it received and how many got selected in the lottery but law firms told Bloomberg that they saw a bigger success rate this time.
The visa program to hire specialty workers from foreign countries used to depend on a random lottery, as it receives more applications than the yearly quota of 85,000. But the administration revised the lottery rule to give more chances of winning to more qualified candidates. Some top legal firms cited 50-60% success rate this year compared to one in three selection chances in previous years.
What does this mean for H-1B seekers?
The Trump administration has been strongly cracking down on immigration, job, and visa fraud. Several Republicans want the H-1B program to end altogether, as they do not want American jobs to go to Indians or Chinese. But if H-1B selection rates increase under the Trump administration, is it good news for Americans and H-1B seekers?
Immigration firms told Bloomberg that the winning chances increased this year because the pool was smaller this time, because of the $100,000 fee. After the fee was imposed, universities and hospitals halted almost all their international recruiting as they can't pay the exorbitant fee. Many tech firms also opted out of hiring from abroad, which accounted for four in 10 new H-1B employees in recent years. Tech firms pushing major investments in artificial intelligence also decreased their foreign hires this time. Many companies are still waiting and watching if there is any change in the rule or any court order halting the visa fee.
An increase in winning chance is good news for highly skilled workers as the new system works in favor of high-paid, experienced workers. For American workers too, it means entry-level jobs will not go to foreign workers.
