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The Trump administration proposed major changes to the H-1B visa program, including a $100,000 fee for new applications after September 21st and a revised lottery system prioritizing higher-paid, higher-skilled workers. The new system would allocate visa spots based on a weighted selection process using four wage bands, replacing the current random lottery. This move aims to address concerns about the program's use to fill lower-skilled positions and could significantly impact companies, particularly startups and those heavily reliant on lower-wage foreign workers. The proposal is open for public comment before final implementation.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.