Dive Brief:
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Tuesday said it reached its cap for H-1B visas for fiscal year 2027, including the advanced degree exemption, according to a news release.
- USCIS annually allows 65,000 H-1B visas and an additional 20,000 for workers with a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. institution, the agency said.
- This year’s lottery is the first subject to a new weighted selection process favoring higher-skilled and higher-paid workers.
Dive Insight:
Immigration and the H-1B visa program have been targets of the Trump administration, and many changes have left employers scrambling to comply.
In September, President Donald Trump announced that there would be a $100,000 fee for petitions for H-1B visas, with exceptions, a move that has met legal challenges.
And, in December, the U.S. State Department said it would complete “an online presence review” of H-1B visa applicants and their dependents, which would include a look at social media activity.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Labor last week issued a proposed rule that would increase prevailing wage rates for H-1B visa holders in an effort to cut down on “abuse” of the program, according to U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
Employers say the myriad policy and regulatory changes made by the Trump administration on diversity, equity and inclusion and immigration issues have affected their businesses, with some even laying off workers, according to a Littler Mendelson survey released last month. Of the more than 300 employer representatives polled, the share that cited the effects of DEI and immigration changes was more than double of any other category measured, including even artificial intelligence compliance.
