Congress proposes salary-based H1B lottery replacement

A new legislative proposal introduced in the U.S. Congress seeks to enact the most significant overhaul of the H1B skilled worker visa program in decades. The bill, titled the American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act, was introduced by Republican Congressman Chip Roy of Texas and is co-sponsored by Representative Eli Crane.

The legislation proposes to fundamentally alter the program by ending its use as a pathway to permanent residency, a cornerstone of the current system known as "dual intent." Under the proposed changes, H1B visa holders would be required to maintain a residence abroad and prove they do not intend to abandon it, reversing the policy that currently allows workers to pursue green cards while remaining in the United States. It would also eliminate provisions that permit visa extensions while awaiting green card processing.

A central feature of the bill is the replacement of the current lottery-based selection process with a system that awards visas based on salary levels, prioritizing higher-paying positions. It would impose stricter requirements on employers, mandating they demonstrate good-faith efforts to hire American workers first and prove qualified U.S....