The administration of US President Donald Trump proposed a revised H-1B visa process on Tuesday, days after it introduced a $100,000 (€85,000) fee for the work visas and sent shockwaves through the tech industry.
The Department of Homeland Security proposed the changes in an unpublished submission to the Federal Register.
Once the yearly quota of 85,000 visas per year has been met, the proposed new process would give more weight to applications made by employers who pay higher wages.
The department said these changes would “better serve congressional intent for the H-1B program.”
The move aims to better protect Americans from unfair wage competition from foreign workers, it added.
The proposal still needs to be finalized.
H-1B visa changes spark uncertainty
The decision to charge $100,000 for H-1B visas stunned and confused employers, students and workers last week.
The visa process previously cost employers a few thousand dollars.
Now major tech firms are reconsidering whether to hire skilled overseas talent because of the newly prohibitive cost.
The shakeup has also had diplomatic ramifications, dealing a blow to US-India ties.
Indian workers make up the bulk of H-1B visa recipients, accounting for 71% of approved visas last year.
Edited by: Karl Sexton
