{"data":{"prismicArticle":{"uid":"h-1b-high-paid-us-masters-applicants-win-big","tags":["NRI"],"first_publication_date":"2026-05-24T10:28:18+0000","last_publication_date":"2026-05-25T08:43:29+0000","data":{"third_party_url":null,"title":{"text":"H-1B: High-Paid, US Master’s Applicants Win Big"},"rating":null,"datetime":"2026-05-24T09:59:00+0000","img":{"url":"https://images.prismic.io/prad%2Fcf9b726b-0761-4f6a-bef9-41aa90a09c27_h1b+visa.jpg?auto=format,compress&rect=0,54,1200,592&w=2028&h=1000"},"embed":{"embed_url":null,"thumbnail_url":null,"author_url":null,"title":null},"content":{"raw":[{"text":"The American H-1B visa system is witnessing a major transformation, and the latest selection numbers for fiscal year 2027 clearly show that the era of mass low-wage filings may be coming to an end. According to new data released by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, a striking 71.5% of selected H-1B applicants this year hold a US master’s degree or higher — a sharp jump from 57% last year. At the same time, selections from the lowest wage category dropped dramatically to just 17.7%, signaling a deliberate shift toward attracting highly skilled and better-paid foreign professionals. The total number of registrations also plunged by nearly 38.5%, falling from over 343,000 to around 211,600 applications."},{"text":"The changes are largely driven by USCIS’s new wage-based weighted selection system, which replaced the old random lottery process. Under the revised model, applicants offered higher salaries receive stronger preference during selection, fundamentally altering how companies approach H-1B hiring. The agency has also continued using the beneficiary-centric registration system to prevent duplicate filings for the same candidate while simultaneously increasing registration fees and tightening scrutiny on low-wage applications. Immigration experts say the policy shift is aimed at discouraging misuse of the H-1B system by staffing firms and prioritizing genuinely skilled professionals in advanced sectors like technology, research, engineering, and artificial intelligence."},{"text":"For thousands of Indian students and tech workers dreaming of long-term careers in the United States, the new direction sends a clear message: American employers and immigration authorities are now rewarding specialization, advanced education, and higher compensation packages more than ever before. While the stricter system could reduce opportunities for entry-level applicants and outsourcing-driven hiring models, it may benefit candidates with stronger academic backgrounds and niche technical skills. The latest numbers also reflect the Trump administration’s broader push to reshape employment-based immigration around higher wages and “high-value talent,” making the H-1B race more competitive — but also more selective than ever before."}]}}},"relatedArticles":{"edges":[{"node":{"uid":"us-bill-seeks-steep-h-1b-fraud-penalties","data":{"third_party_url":null,"title":{"text":"US bill seeks steep H-1B fraud penalties"},"img":{"url":"https://images.prismic.io/prad%2Fcf9b726b-0761-4f6a-bef9-41aa90a09c27_h1b+visa.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=0%2C54%2C1200%2C592&w=2028&h=1000"},"datetime":"2026-10-06T01:30:00+0000"}}},{"node":{"uid":"indian-gc-backlog-stretches-past-decade","data":{"third_party_url":null,"title":{"text":"Indian GC backlog stretches past 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