The United States government finalised a major overhaul of the H-1B visa selection process earlier this month, replacing the long-standing random lottery with a wage-weighted system that gives preference to applicants in higher-paid jobs. What has changed in the H-1B lottery system? The key change is that the H-1B lottery will no longer be purely random. Employers apply for and sponsor the H-1B visa for their overseas employees to work in the United States. “They are talking about wage levels within an occupation.”Story continues below this adFor example, a wage level 4 teacher may earn far less than a wage level 4 software engineer, but both would still receive the highest weighting within their respective professions.

Source: Indian Express December 29, 2025 18:24 UTC