Proposed H-1B changes could redefine global talent acquisition

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed its thoughts on a pending overhaul of the current H-1B visa program with the release Tuesday of a Federal Register notice laying out a set of proposed new rules for the recruitment of foreign workers.

The 105-page notice, which follows late last week’s executive order from President Donald Trump that imposed a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, “proposes to implement a weighted selection process that would generally favor the allocation of H-1B visas to higher skilled and higher paid aliens, while maintaining the opportunity for employers to secure H-1B workers at all wage levels, to better serve the Congressional intent for the H-1B program.”

In his order, Trump wrote, “information technology (IT) firms in particular have prominently manipulated the H-1B system, significantly harming American workers in computer-related fields. The share of IT workers in the H-1B program grew from 32% in Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 to an average of over 65% in the last five fiscal years. In addition, some of the most prolific H-1B employers are now consistently IT outsourcing companies.”