USCIS released details of the FY 2027 H-1B lottery as the fiscal year 2027 H-1B lottery season draws to a close, celebrating a 38.5% drop in registrations and attributing it to President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies. Within a year, enrollment dropped from 343,981 in fiscal year 2026 to just 211,600 in fiscal 2027. “This data clearly demonstrates that the days of abuse of the program for mass low-wage enrollment are over and that the program is better serving its intended purpose of attracting highly skilled foreign workers and protecting the wages, working conditions, and employment opportunities of American workers,” the agency said.The agency, which launched salary-based selection for the first time this year in place of a random lottery, said it approved more applicants with advanced degrees and higher salaries and gave priority to those who had studied at U.S. universities. “The vast majority of foreign nationals selected hold a U.S. master’s degree or higher, up from 57 percent last year,” the agency said.“These skilled workers are making a real impact on our economy, and we are closing the door on the low-wage and low-skill foreign labor pipeline approved by the Biden administration’s policies. This year, only 17.7% of all selected registrations fall into the minimum wage category,” USCIS said.The release of these numbers is anticipated by H-1B applicants and the companies that process these applications as they anticipate whether second and third draws will be held if the H-1B quota is not filled in the first lottery.Immigration attorney Emily Neumann said the number of registrations filed this year is almost the same as 10 years ago. But that’s mostly because Trump imposed a $100,000 fee on applications outside the United States. “The beneficiaries who are down 38.5% from last year are likely to be beneficiaries outside the United States and therefore subject to the $100,000 Trump fee,” Neumann said.“Since implementing the electronic lottery, USCIS has selected an average of 127,843 registrations to fill 85,000 spots each year (excluding 2024, which selects far more). This means the selection rate this year should be closer to 60 percent,” Neumann predicted.
