H-1B Visa Lottery Changes, New Rules For Green Card Holders, Non-US Citizens: 5 Things To Know

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Want to go to America during President Donald Trump's time? You must know about these new rules that will impact Green Card holders, H-1B visa holders and non-US citizens who want to spend time in the United States.

1. H1B visa fee

In September this year, Trump announced a massive hike in H-1B visa application fee. The Proclamation entitled“Restrictions on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers” imposed a $100,000 fee for most new H-1B visa petitions and restricted the ability of certain H-1B visa holders to enter the US.

This rule came into effect on September 21, 2025.

The latest Presidential Proclamation requires employers to pay an additional $100,000 per visa as a condition of eligibility.

Also Read | India raises concerns with US over H-1B visa appointment delays 2. H1-B visa lottery scrapped

The new immigration rule will significantly change the H-1B selection process to favour individuals in senior positions. It establishes a policy that an H-1B visa holder paid a Level IV salary is four times more valuable to employers and the US economy than someone paid a Level I salary.

The Department of Homeland Security said it will now "prioritise the allocation of visas to higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens to better protect the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities for American workers," the official statement read.

Also Read | New H-1B selection process to affect small and mid-sized companies, says Nasscom

The new policy also scrapped the H1-B lottery syste to implement a "weighted selection process" which is expected to disadvantage international students.

The new rule replaces the random lottery for selecting visa recipients with a process that gives greater weight to those with higher skills. It will, however, maintain the opportunity for employers to secure H-1B workers at all wage levels.

This final rule is effective February 27, 2026, and will be in place for the FY 2027 H-1B cap registration season.

Also Read | Trump's $100,000 H-1B Fee Draws Rare Rebuke From Business Groups

How will it work? The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) conducts a lottery when it receives more H-1B registrations than the 85,000-annual limit, according to Forbes.

While currently all registrants have an equal chance of selection for an H-1B petition, the new rule requires the USCIS to use the four Department of Labor salary levels for prevailing wage determinations to“weight” the lottery in favour of individuals in positions that require more experience.

3. Screening and vetting of social media profiles

As of December 15, the US Department of State will expand the requirement that an "online presence review" be conducted for all H-1B applicants and their dependents, in addition to the students and exchange visitors already subject to this review.

To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for H-1B and their dependents (H-4), F, M, and J non-immigrant visas are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to“public.”

Also Read | H-1B fee hike: How it will affect Indians, companies & remittances-in charts

This review of social media and online presence has led to mass delays in visa appointments. Several applicants in India received emails informing them that their visa appointments had been rescheduled.

4. Biometric entry-exit

Now on, all non-US citizens will have their photograph taken every time they enter or leave the US. It expands biometric collection to new transportation modalities, including sea exit, private aircraft, vehicle entry/exit, and pedestrian exit.

The rule, effective December 26, 2025, amends existing regulations to authorise US Customs and Border Protection to collect facial biometrics from all non-citizens upon entry and exit at airports, land ports, seaports, and other authorised points of departure.

Also Read | BCI mandates biometric attendance, criminal background checks for law students

As per the guidelines, the US Customs and Border Protection officers may also collect fingerprints and iris scans. These details will be matched with existing travel documents through the 'Traveller Verification Service.'

The rule removed earlier exemptions. Children under the age of 14 and adults over 79 are no longer exempt. The new rule also eliminates prior exemptions, including those for diplomats and most Canadian visitors. It also removes limitations on pilot programs.

5. Reviews for green-card holders from 19 countries

Extra attention will be given to green-card applicants and holders from 19 countries that the US government flagged for security concerns.

The head of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, had earlier said that the president had directed him to conduct“a full scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern.”

Also Read | 5 reasons why biometric authentication is the future of UPI payments

On December 2, 2025, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it would pause reviewing all pending applications for green cards, citizenship, or asylum from immigrants from 19 countries listed in a previous travel ban.

From January 1, 2026, the US government will fully restrict the entry of nationals of 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

The government also partially restricted the entry of nationals of the following 7 countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

MENAFN28122025007365015876ID1110531022