H‑1B shifts to wage‑weighted priority
Beginning April 1 the H‑1B process will prioritize petitions by employer wage offers, a shift likely to favor higher salaries and change sponsorship dynamics for early‑career hires. The administration is also expanding social‑media vetting for more visa categories, increasing documentation and scrutiny for international candidates and students. (H-1B Visa Changes From April 1: What To Know, State Department Expands Social Media Vetting for Visa Seekers)
DHS published a final rule titled “Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H‑1B Petitions,” which was made effective February 27, 2026 and will govern the FY2027 registration season. (federalregister.gov) Under the new system each registration is assigned between one and four entries based on the Department of Labor’s OEWS wage levels (Level I = 1 entry, Level II = 2, Level III = 3, Level IV = 4), and USCIS will run selections beginning with the highest wage tiers. (gtlaw.com) USCIS opened the FY2027 electronic registration window from March 4 through March 19, 2026, with selections expected to be made by March 31, 2026 and the cap‑subject petition filing window running April 1 through June 30, 2026. (gtlaw.com) USCIS published a revised Form I‑129 (edition 02/27/2026) and made that edition mandatory for petitions postmarked on or after April 1, 2026, with petitions using the prior edition subject to rejection. (rnlawgroup.com) The State Department expanded its “online presence review” effective March 30, 2026 to cover additional nonimmigrant classifications—including A‑3, C‑3 (domestic workers), G‑5, H‑3, H‑4 dependents of H‑3, K‑1/K‑2/K‑3, Q, R‑1/R‑2, S, T, and U—while H‑1B, H‑4, F, M and J applicants remain subject to review. (travel.state.gov) The State Department instructed applicants in the covered categories to set social‑media privacy settings to “public” or “open” to facilitate vetting, and the announcement frames online‑presence review as part of national‑security‑oriented visa screening. (travel.state.gov)
