US sees 38% drop in H-1B visa applications, claims days of abuse over

Key points

• The Trump administration on Thursday said H-1B visa applications had fallen sharply this year following sweeping changes to the work visa allocation system, declaring that “the days of abusing the programme with mass, low-wage registrations are over.” According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the number of properly submitted registrations dropped 38.5% year-on-year -- from 343,981 in fiscal year 2026 to 211,600 in fiscal year 2027. Read Full Story H-1B visas, for which Indians account for the majority of applications, have been in focus for some time after the White House implemented stricter wage rules and increased application fees in what it said was a bid to crack down on systemic abuse.
• In a post on X, the agency said, "This data is a clear sign that the days of abusing the program with mass, low-wage registrations are over, and that the programme is better serving its intended...