From January 17, 2025, the government of the United States will implement new changes to the H-1B visa program.
Among them are streamlined processes, clarified eligibility criteria, and additional measures to ensure transparency and fairness, as confirmed by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), VisaGuide.World reports.
These improvements to the program provide employers with greater flexibility to hire global talent, boost our economic competitiveness, and allow highly skilled workers to continue advancing American innovation.
The new changes, in particular, are expected to benefit Indian professionals, who are the top beneficiaries of the US H-1B visa program. In 2023 alone, 73 percent of the total 386,000 H-1B visas went to Indian nationals.
Key Changes to the H-1B Program
Among the main updates to the H-1B program include updated rules for cap-exempt organizations, simplified transition for F-1 visa holders, accelerated visa processing, flexibility for employers, eligibility for persons with controlling interest, and better safeguards against misuse.
The new updates that aim to address the ongoing concerns of employers, as well as workers and advocacy groups, also include updated petition forms and year-round cap exemptions, among others.
The US H-1B visa is a temporary work visa that permits employers in the United States to hire highly qualified workers for specialty jobs if the US employers cannot find qualified employees in the US to complete the work.
The H-1B Visa for 2026
Applications for the H-1B visa program are over every year in spring. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency approves 65,000 petitions each year from October 1 until September 30 of the following year.
An additional 20,000 H-1B visas are designed for foreign nationals holding advanced degrees from United States Institutions.
In a bid to further enhance the H-1B visa program, USCIS Director Ur M Jaddou said that new changes were needed.
The H-1B program was created by Congress in 1990, and there’s no question it needed to be modernized to support our nation’s growing economy.
In June 2024, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unfolded plans to impose a fee of $4,000 in order to extend an H-1B visa as well as a fee of $4,500 to extend an L-1 visa.
According to DHS, the new changes would help to fund the US entry and exit programs and prevent fraud while further enhancing security.