Trump Plans H-1B Lottery Overhaul to Prioritize Higher Earners
Travelers wait to go through security at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco, California.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThe Trump administration is proposing major changes to the selection process for H-1B visas heavily used by the tech industry, basing allocation on skill-level required and wages offered for a position instead of the current randomized lottery.
The proposal, released Tuesday, is the latest effort by President Donald Trump to overhaul the H-1B program, which has become a lightning rod in conservative circles as critics argue that recipients displace American workers. The proposal wouldn’t base visa allocation strictly on highest wages offered, instead it would assign each prospective worker to four wage bands based on Labor Department surveys.