The Trump administration’s changes to the U.S. visa system for highly skilled immigrants are set to be tested with the upcoming H-1B lottery. This year, sponsors must pay a $100,000 fee, which is expected to disadvantage IT consulting firms that have previously dominated the visa allocation. “This is going to be a bit of a sea change,” observed Peter Bendor-Samuel, the executive chairman of global research firm Everest Group, which works with companies that routinely use the H-1B program. Companies such as Cognizant have already reduced their reliance on H-1Bs, while others are prioritizing hiring immigrants already in the U.S. Hiba Anver, a partner with Erickson Immigration Group, said: “There are several changes that taken collectively will diminish the tech industry’s ability to attract and retain key talent . . . [this] will result in a smaller talent pool for tech companies.”
