H-1B visa: Trump govt proposes scrapping of computerised lottery system

NEW DELHI: The US administration’s proposal to scrap the computerised lottery system to grant H-1B work visas to foreign technology professionals and replace it with a wage-level based selection process could hamper movement of talent by technology and IT companies, according to analysts.

On Thursday, the US department of homeland security (DHS) said that modifying the H-1B cap selection process by replacing the random method with a wage-level-based one “is a better way to allocate H-1B visas when demand exceeds supply.”

“If finalised as proposed, this new selection process would incentivise employers to offer higher wages or petition for positions requiring higher skills and higher-skilled workers instead of using the programme to fill relatively lower-paid vacancies,” DHS said.