The H-1B visa program that provides entry to skilled foreign professionals in the US is set to receive major reforms very soon.
The changes proposed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are in the final stage of review at the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).
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The new regulations aim to ensure an equal approach to providing people with visas by abolishing preferences given to applicants with higher wages.
This renewed system will be applied from the 2025 H-1B lottery, retaining the cap of 85,000 visas per year. The visa renewal process has also been simplified by granting deference to prior USCIS decisions.
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These reforms will prove highly beneficial for many Indian techies, who often try tooth and nail to get a job in the US.
While many have commended the Biden Administration’s move, it is also no hidden fact that it is the outgoing administration.
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The upcoming Trump Administration has vocally expressed its disdain for the H-1B Lottery system, claiming that it prevents the top cream from foreign nations to get into the US.
Hence many existing and potential immigrants, including many Indian techies, are worried that they may not be able to reap the benefits of these reforms if the Trump Administration decides to come down harshly on the lottery.
With a few months left until the shift of power, it will be interesting to see how this situation plays out.
