USCIS reveals 38.5% decline in H-1B registrations for FY 2027.

USCIS published details of the H-1B fiscal year 2027 lottery as the season approached and celebrated a 38.5% decline in registrations, attributed to President Donald Trump’s America First policies. In one year, the number of registrations dropped from 343,981 in FY 2026 to only 211,600 in FY 2027. The agency said, “This data is a clear indication that the days of abusing the program with massive, low-wage enrollment are over, and that the program is better serving its intended purpose of attracting high-skilled foreign workers and protecting the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities of American workers.”On salary-based selection, which was introduced for the first time this year to replace a random lottery, the agency said it approved more applicants with advanced degrees and higher salaries and gave priority to those who studied at U.S. universities. “71.5% of the aliens selected have a U.S. master’s degree or higher, compared to 57% last year,” the agency said.USCIS said, “These skilled workers are making a real impact on our economy and we are closing the door on the low-wage and low-skilled foreign labor pipeline approved under Biden Administration policies. This year, only 17.7% of all selected registrations were in the lowest wage category.”The release of these numbers is awaited by H-1B applicants and the companies that handle these applications as they speculate whether there will be a second and third lottery if the H-1B quota is not filled in the first round of the lottery.Immigration attorney Emily Newman said the number of registrations submitted this year is about the same as the number 10 years ago. But the main reason is the $100,000 fee that Trump imposed on applications outside the US. “The 38.5% decline from last year likely accounts only for beneficiaries who are outside the United States and therefore subject to the $100,000 Trump fee,” Newman said.“Since implementing the electronic lottery, USCIS has selected an average of 127,843 registrations each year to fill 85,000 slots (not counting 2024, in which a much higher number were selected). This suggests that this year’s selection rate should be closer to 60%,” Newman estimated.