H-1B sponsorship alternatives: O-1, L-1, investor visas emerge as backup; companies ‘spend outside US’
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on December 23 that new changes to the existing H-1B visa program would entirely do away with its random lottery selection, making way for the new wage-weighted selection. Set to go into effect on February 27, 2026, this policy revision will “prioritise the allocation of nonimmigrant visa to higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens to better protect the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities for American workers,” as per the official DHS website.
