In a major shift, the US Department of Homeland Security has officially scrapped the random H-1B visa lottery system. Instead, the new rule will prioritize higher skilled and higher paid applicants, with the stated goal of protecting American wages and jobs.
The change will come into effect on February 27, 2026, and will apply to the FY 2027 H-1B cap season. Importantly, the total number of visas remains the same. There will still be 65,000 regular H-1B visas and an additional 20,000 reserved for advanced degree holders.
What changes is how these visas are allocated.
No more luck based lottery. Selection will now be wage driven. Applicants with higher salary offers will get priority over lower paid roles. Simply put, higher pay means higher chances.
For many aspirants from India, this is a tough blow. Students from average universities, consultancy driven profiles, and mass filings now face a much steeper climb. The door is not fully closed, but it is no longer easy or random.
To be picked early under this system, candidates will need to show genuinely high salary offers. Think $150,000 or more. After that comes the reality of filing fees that can touch close to $100,000 over time. The big question is who is offering such salaries. Very few employers will offer a $150K package unless the candidate is truly exceptional and coming from strong product based companies.
This reform clearly favors top talent, niche skills, and high value roles. For others, especially those relying on consultancies and volume based filings, the path has become much harder.
Tough luck for many, but from a policy standpoint, this is a long overdue reform. The H-1B visa was meant for specialized talent, not a numbers game. That era now seems officially over.
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