There will be significant changes in the H-1B visa process before the revised fee of $100,000 comes into effect in February 2026, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said, as he dubbed the current visa process as “just wrong” that low-cost tech consultants are allowed to enter the US and bring their families.
“This procedure and process goes into effect in February of 2026, so my guess is going to be that there are going to be a significant number of changes between now and 2026,” Lutnick told
The Donald Trump-led American government recently charged a high fee of $100,000 for new H-1B visa petitions, including renewals. The White House later made it clear that the current visa holders are not covered under the new system and can travel in and out of the US without paying any fee.
Lutnick also stated that with the USD 100,000 application fee, “at least it shouldn’t be overrun with these people.” But I think you’re going to see a real thoughtful change going forward. And that’s what I expect will happen.”
Is the Lottery System Really Going to Work for the H-1B Visas?
He added that although there are issues regarding how the lottery system is going to work for the H-1B visas, all of them will be settled by February 2026. He insisted that the one-time fee of USD 100,000 will be there to get in “as of now.”
“There was a lottery. The H1B is a lottery,” Lutnick stated. He asserted that in discussions he had with heads of two of the largest tech companies in the world, “they said conducting a lottery for skilled workers entering America is ‘bizarre.'”
“Something that makes no sense is that,” he indicated regarding the lottery system to admit highly skilled workers. He also indicated that the H-1B process established in 1990 has been “kind of butchered along the way,” and that everyone agrees the system needs to change. He indicated that the visas are 7-10 times “oversubscribed”; 74 percent of them are for tech consulting.
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What is Project Firewall?
This month, the US Department of Labor unveiled the rolloutof ‘Project Firewall,’ an H1B enforcement program designed to protect the rights, wages, and job opportunities of highly skilled American workers. The program will ensure that employers do not overlook qualified Americans when hiring employees and will punish employers if they are found to be exploiting the H1B visa process.
“Opening Project Firewall will assist us in helping no employers exploit H1B visas at the cost of our workers,” US Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer had previously stated. “Through eliminating fraud and abuse, the Department of Labor and our federal allies will guarantee that high-skilled positions go first to Americans.”
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