H-1B visa: WH Okays Wage System To Replace Lottery
At present, there is an annual cap of 85,000 visas under the H-1B programme, which is widely used by the tech sector.
Washington:The White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has adopted a proposed regulation that could change the way H-1B visas are distributed to workers in specialty occupations, as per Bloomberg Law report.
The move implies that the new regulation might soon be made public. The new rule is anticipated to relaunch a Trump administration plan that would prioritise H-1B applicants based on earnings rather than the existing random lottery system.
However, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has not yet released information regarding the regulation.
At present, there is an annual cap of 85,000 visas under the H-1B programme, which is widely used by the tech sector.
On an annual basis, a random lottery selects which employers may file visa requests.
In 2021, the department of homeland security (DHS) recommended allocating H1B visas based on earnings, separated into four categories, to prioritise higherpaying spots. DHS attempted to switch from a random selection procedure to a wage-priority approach under the Trump administration. The suggested regulation would put applications based on wages promised, with higher-paying positions given preference in accordance with the administration’s “Buy American, Hire American” programme, which was designed to guarantee that highly qualified foreign workers who were paid significantly better were given preference for H-1B visas. After strong public outcry, the Biden administration withdrew the plan in 2021 amid claims that it would significantly lower the number of foreign workers who may be employed. Federal courts prevented previous attempts to narrow down the scope of qualified occupations under the programme and increase wagefloors. Given the new rule’s acceptance, the government might try to amend the H-1B visa application procedureonce again. Trump frequently decried the H-1B programme, saying it was often abused to bring in lower-paid foreign workers at the detriment of US workers, especially in the technology industry.. His previous government tightened programme restrictions in an effort to safeguard American wages and jobs. Meanwhile, in Atlanta, pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant is continuing his biggest battle, an uphill, four-month-old fight to get Black consumers to break their habit of shopping at Target outlets. Bryant, 54, is demanding Target Corp. recant on its January decision to shift long-standing commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion. Bryant and his supporters have singled out Target because of its historic support of the Black community and Black-owned brands. While he wasn’t the first to call for a Target boycott, the fight has taken on an existential nature for Bryant and others in the Black church who are desperate to force a company to defy US President’s war on what Trump calls “illegal DEI.” However, Bryant acknowledges that momentum is working against him and his supporters.
