Trump Admin Confirms New H-1B Process, Drops Visa Lottery [View all]

Source: Newsweek

Published Dec 23, 2025 at 10:15 AM EST updated Dec 23, 2025 at 11:14 AM EST


The Trump administration has confirmed it will drop the lottery selection process for the H-1B visa, replacing it with a weighted system, which it says will favor high-skilled workers. The change, set to take effect in 2027, follows months of debate over alleged abuse of the visa by employers, and concerns about the replacement of American workers.

Why It Matters

While not the only work-based visa, the H-1B has become the focal point of the debate over whether the U.S. needs foreign-born workers and how such visas are granted. President Donald Trump has long been in favor of the system, while others within the MAGA movement see it as detrimental to American-born workers, particularly college grads who they say are being kept out of the workforce by cheaper immigrant labor.

What is the H-1B Weighted Selection System?

In an announcement Tuesday morning, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it was making changes "to better protect the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities for American workers."

The biggest change, first floated in July, will be the end of the lottery-based selection process currently used to allocate some 85,000 H-1B visas each year, as applications far outweigh the cap.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/h1b-visa-lottery-dropped-weighted-system-new-trump-admin-11260943