Washington: The selection rate in the US H-1B visa lottery has climbed to as high as 75% this year, after the number of applications fell sharply following a steep fee hike.
The H-1B visa is required for foreign professionals to work in specialised roles in the United States, with an annual cap of 85,000 visas. Rules were changed last year under President Donald Trump.
Under the revised framework, the visa fee was fixed at around Rs 90 lakh. The earlier general lottery system was altered, giving candidates eligible for higher-paying jobs up to four chances in the lottery. Legal cases related to the fee are pending in US courts.
The tighter rules affected Indian IT workers seeking jobs in the US, and companies reduced funding support for H-1B filings. While applications typically total around 700,000 a year, only about 235,000 were filed this year.
With fewer entries, the lottery odds improved markedly: the selection chance, previously around 33%, has risen to as much as 75%. Separately, US IT firms are investing more in AI and shifting toward hiring senior staff, posing challenges for younger engineers while improving prospects for highly skilled candidates.
