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U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said determination volition beryllium “a important fig of changes” successful the H-1B visa process earlier February 2026, erstwhile the caller interest of $100,000 goes into effect, arsenic helium described arsenic “just wrong” the thought of “inexpensive” tech consultants coming into the state and bringing their families.
The Trump medication this period announced a one-time interest of $100,000 for caller H-1B enactment visas, an bid that volition interaction Indian professionals looking to enactment successful the U.S. connected the impermanent visas.
Standing down U.S. President Donald Trump successful the Oval Office erstwhile the H-1B proclamation was signed, Mr. Lutnick had past said that the $100,000 would beryllium an yearly interest for each H-1B visas, including renewals and first-time applicants.
Amid wide panic and chaos, the Trump medication clarified that the caller interest request for H-1B visas volition not use to existent visa holders and is simply a one-time outgo applicable lone to caller petitions.
“This process and process goes into effect successful February of 2026, truthful my conjecture is going to be, determination are going to beryllium a important fig of changes betwixt present and 2026,” Mr. Lutnick said connected Sunday (September 28, 2025) successful an interrogation with NewsNation.
Mr. Lutnick said that with the $100,000 interest connected applications, "at slightest it shouldn't beryllium overrun with these people. But I deliberation you're going to spot a existent thoughtful alteration going forward. And that's what I expect volition happen."
Questions lottery system
"There's going to beryllium a assortment of changes; they're talking astir changes — however to get the lottery, should it inactive beryllium a lottery? But that volition each beryllium resolved by February,” helium said.
He said that “but arsenic of close now”, there's going to beryllium a one-time interest of $100,000 to get in.
“There was a lottery. The H-1B is simply a lottery,” helium said, adding that successful his caller speech with heads of 2 of the biggest tech companies successful the world, “they said doing a lottery for skilled workers coming into America is ‘bizarre’.”
Mr. Lutnick questioned wherefore a federation should bring successful skilled workers done a lottery. “That conscionable doesn’t marque immoderate sense.”
‘Oversubscribed’
He said determination is statement that the H-1B process, which was acceptable up successful 1990 and “sort of butchered on the way”, needs to change. He said the visas are 7-10 times “oversubscribed”, 74% of it is tech consulting.
“H-1B visas are for tech consultants? Like, somehow, that’s important that tech consultants are onshore versus offshore. They’re each successful different countries anyway,” helium said, adding that astir 4% of the visas were for educators and doctors.
He added that the H-1B lottery needs to beryllium “fixed” and the U.S. should lone springiness “highly-skilled jobs” to the “most highly-skilled people”.
Mr. Lutnick said doctors and educators with precocious degrees should beryllium capable to travel successful but if companies privation to prosecute engineers, they should employment lone the highly paid ones.
“The thought of having tech consultants and trainees who are inexpensive should beryllium eliminated. I person a beardown sentiment that way. I deliberation the President's close with maine connected those aforesaid topics... I americium wholly connected the presumption that this thought that inexpensive tech consultants should beryllium coming into this state and bringing their families, I find it conscionable wrong, and truthful it sits incorrect with me,” Mr. Lutnick said.
‘Project Firewall’
This month, the U.S. Department of Labour announced the motorboat of ‘Project Firewall’, an H-1B enforcement inaugural aimed astatine safeguarding the rights, wages, and occupation opportunities of highly skilled American workers.
The inaugural volition guarantee that employers prioritise qualified Americans erstwhile hiring workers and volition clasp employers accountable if they maltreatment the H-1B visa process.
“Launching Project Firewall volition assistance america guarantee nary employers are abusing H1B visas astatine the disbursal of our workforce,” U.S. Secretary of Labour Lori Chavez-DeRemer had said successful a statement. “By rooting retired fraud and abuse, the Department of Labour and our national partners volition guarantee that highly skilled jobs spell to Americans first.”
Through Project Firewall, the section volition behaviour investigations of employers to maximise H-1B programme compliance. To execute this goal, the Secretary of Labour volition “personally certify the initiation of investigations” for the archetypal clip successful the department’s history.
Violations whitethorn effect successful the postulation of backmost wages owed to affected workers, the appraisal of civilian wealth penalties, and/or debarment from aboriginal usage of the H1B programme for a prescribed play of time.
