Latest news with #OfficeofInformationandRegulatoryAffairs
India Today
2 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Will weighted H-1B visa system end lottery-based model? Trump admin has new plan
The Trump administration is exploring significant changes to how H-1B visas are issued. In a recent filing submitted to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on July 17, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed introducing a "weighted selection process" for applicants under the capped portion of the system. Because the number of applicants far outstrips openings, a lottery system is currently used to determine the visas have long been a topic of political debate, especially among US President Donald Trump and his supporters, who have often clashed with high-profile figures like Tesla CEO Elon Musk over immigration visa programme is a critical tool for US tech companies, allowing them to hire high-skilled foreign workers, many of whom come from India. Indians remain the dominant beneficiaries of the H-1B non-immigrant visa 2022, Indian nationals secured 77% of the 320,000 approved H-1B visas. This trend continued in fiscal year 2023, when they accounted for 72.3% of the 386,000 visas DOES DHS FILING SAY ON H-1B VISA PROGRAMME?While the DHS filing provides few details about what the weighted selection process would entail, it clarifies that the change would affect the statutorily capped portion of the programme, currently limited to 85,000 visas per these, 20,000 are reserved for workers with at least a Master's degree. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will remain the agency responsible for handling visa present, H-1B visas are distributed via a random lottery system, which treats all applicants equally regardless of qualifications or employer. However, large tech firms such as Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft often submit high volumes of applications, giving them an edge in securing a bigger share of available and research institutions, meanwhile, are not subject to the annual cap and can hire foreign talent DID THE NEW H-1B SELECTION IDEA COME FROM?In January, Jeremy L Neufeld and the Institute for Progress (IFP) analysed the potential impact of replacing the H-1B visa lottery with a salary-based ranking system. Their findings showed that average first-time H-1B salaries would surge from $106,000 to $172,000, dramatically reshaping the labour change would effectively dismantle the current business model of many outsourcing firms, which rely on lower-wage visa workers. Additionally, it would increase the chances of highly skilled professionals, especially PhD holders, securing visas, shifting the program's focus more towards specialised to their analysis, the economic value of the H-1B programme could rise by as much as 88% if applications were evaluated on factors like salary or USCIS is in the process of writing a rule to end the H-1B lottery and replace it with a weighted selection method. That's good news. The USCIS should stick as closely as possible to a raw salary ranking (no 4 levels), with boosts for younger workers and low cost-of-living," Connor O'Brien, a researcher at the Economic Innovation Group, wrote on X."The H-1B is the primary way through which the United States attracts high-skilled immigrants. That it is randomly allocated (among eligible applicants) is insane. America deserves better!", Brien no deadline has been announced for the proposed changes, the rule is not expected to impact next year's H-1B holders, as the programme has already reached its cap for the upcoming cycle.- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
H-1B visa: US considering 'weighted selection process' for hiring foreigners, DHS drafting new rule
No lottery for H-1B? New rule may add weightage on the wage offered for a position. The Donald Trump administration is considering introducing a new process for H-1B hiring under the capped part of the system. The Department of Homeland Security sent the proposal to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review. The capped part of the system means the statutory cap decided by Congress for every year. The cap is 85,000 slots, including 20,000 reserved for workers who have a master's degree. Universities and research institutions are eligible for cap-exempt visas. For 2026, the USCIS has already closed the process as they announced Friday that enough petitions had been submitted to reach the annual cap, which means there will be no lottery for FY 2026. In the present system, there's a random lottery each year for visas subject to the cap. After the lottery, employers with winning entries submit petitions to sponsor workers who will join their companies around October. In Donald Trump's first term, the DHS came up with a selection process based on the wage offered for a position instead of the random lottery so that companies hire more high-skilled workers instead of filling their positions with low-wage foreign workers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Struggling With Belly Fat? Try This at Home Home Fitness Hack Shop Now Undo That rule, one of several offered as part of a 'Buy American, Hire American' initiative, was later shelved by the Biden administration in 2021. The draft regulations drew more than 1,000 public comments, including many that argued it would drastically reduce the number of available H-1B workers, Bloomberg reported. H-1B: Lottery versus weighted selection process The lottery system was brought in so that no company or applicant would get any favor. But larger companies can apply for more visas resulting in such companies getting more H-1Bs. In January, the Institute for Progress, a nonpartisan think tank examining innovation policy, floated the idea of eliminating the H-1B lottery. It argued that the economic value of the visa program could be increased by 88 per cent of applicants were evaluated based on seniority or salary.
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Business Standard
07-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Trump signs order to boost drone security ahead of World Cup, Olympics
Officials say the aim of the orders is to boost US manufacturing and innovation while reducing dependence on foreign rivals like China, which leads the global commercial drone market Bloomberg By Allyson Versprille and Hadriana Lowenkron President Donald Trump signed executive orders Friday to bolster US drone capabilities, including strengthening counter-drone tools ahead of major sporting events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics that will be hosted in the country. 'Taking action on airspace security has never been timelier,' Michael Kratsios, the director of White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, told reporters Friday, citing the upcoming events that are expected to draw millions of fans to the US. 'The administration is cracking down on unlawful drone use, ordering a federal task force to ensure US control over American skies and prioritizing the detection and identification of drones in real time.' The intention of the three orders, according to officials, is to boost US manufacturing and innovation while decreasing reliance on foreign adversaries, such as China, which dominates the commercial drone market. One executive order to improve counter-drone capabilities establishes the task force, which would review and propose solutions to threats, according to a White House fact sheet. The order also calls for the creation of a national training center to prepare authorities for the World Cup and Olympics and instructs the Federal Aviation Administration to expedite a rule for restricting drone flights near certain facilities, including critical infrastructure, oil refineries, chemical plants and amusement parks. The proposed regulation is already being reviewed by the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. 'Drones are a disruptive technology,' said Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president. 'They have an amazing potential for both good and ill.' A second executive order is intended to promote the US market for new technologies, including drones and air taxis. It directs the FAA to speed up another rule under White House review that would allow companies to fly drones beyond a remote pilot's direct line of sight without having to obtain individual waivers and exemptions. Companies, such as those using drones to deliver packages, have said the rules will make it easier for them to scale up their businesses and expand to more locations. The order also directs federal agencies to give priority to US-manufactured drones, according to a fact sheet. Senior White House officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity before the orders were signed Friday, said the directive was meant to reduce reliance on technology from other countries. While it doesn't ban any specific companies, such as China's Da Jiang Innovations — the world leader in commercial drone sales — it does direct the Commerce Department to begin investigations and regulatory reviews to safeguard the US drone supply chain. That could result in a company being placed on a list that would bar new drones from being able to access US networks, one of the officials said. The National Defense Authorization Act enacted at the end of 2024 mandated reviews of both DJI and Autel Robotics, another Chinese firm, to determine if they pose a national security risk. The Trump administration has expanded restrictions on the transfer of advanced technology to China, including artificial intelligence and jet engine parts — moves that are a key point in trade discussions between the world's two largest economies. According to the Atlantic Council, China controls 90% of the commercial drone market in the US and 80% globally. American companies have struggled to compete, which the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International has said is partly because Beijing subsidizes its domestic companies, allowing them to offer products at prices significantly lower than US counterparts. The third executive order is meant to promote supersonic technology in the US, in part by repealing regulations officials cast as impeding development. That includes directing the FAA to repeal a ban on supersonic flights over land, according to a White House fact sheet. Michael Robbins, the chief executive officer of AUVSI, hailed the orders, saying they 'showcase that drones are critical to American economic strength, national security, and global leadership.'
Time Business News
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Time Business News
The Dual Oversight of Power: Executive and Legislative Control in U.S. Administration
By Jean Richard Franck, M.A., Doctoral Student in Public Administration In the landscape of American democracy, power does not reside in a single person, branch, or institution. It is checked, balanced, and most importantly—shared. Nowhere is this more evident than in the oversight of administrative agencies, where both the executive and legislative branches exercise authority. This shared control is not a tug-of-war. It is a dynamic process—a choreography of law, leadership, and legitimacy. Many people imagine that the President alone controls the agencies of government. After all, the President appoints agency heads, signs executive orders, and shapes the national agenda. But in truth, Congress is the architect. It creates these agencies, defines their scope, and holds the purse strings. One branch steers the ship, the other builds and funds it. Together, they guide the course of governance. Consider the President's tools: executive orders, budget proposals, memoranda, and the authority to nominate (and in some cases, remove) key officials. These powers are formidable. They allow the President to implement change without waiting for legislation. Through the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), the President can even delay or revise agency regulations that don't align with White House priorities. Yet this power, though wide, is not absolute. It is rooted in constitutional and statutory law. Article II of the Constitution vests executive power in the President, and charges him with the faithful execution of the law. That duty sets boundaries. The President cannot legislate, only implement. And while the courts can challenge executive overreach, it is Congress that provides the long-term counterbalance. Congress shapes the administrative state through structural design, delegation, funding, and oversight. It decides which agencies exist, what they do, and how their decisions must be made. The Administrative Procedure Act (APA), a cornerstone of modern governance, is a legislative act that mandates transparency, fairness, and public participation in agency rulemaking. Congress doesn't merely create law—it ensures the law is applied as intended. The difference in how these two branches exercise power is profound. The executive acts swiftly. The legislative acts deliberately. The President commands from the center. Congress deliberates through committees and coalitions. One responds to crises with urgency; the other reflects the consensus of a nation. This tension is not dysfunction—it's design. We've seen this interplay throughout history. Presidents have issued bold executive orders to drive environmental policy, economic reform, and public health action. Meanwhile, Congress has investigated those same agencies, reined in budgets, and rewritten authorizing statutes. Sometimes they clash. Sometimes they collaborate. But the system endures, because the balance itself is a form of accountability. As a student of public administration, I see this dual oversight as more than a procedural function. It is a reminder that no one governs alone. Our institutions are complex by intention, not by accident. They are layered, not to confuse, but to protect. Governance in a democracy must be resilient—not only against inefficiency, but against unchecked power. So the next time we read about a regulatory agency drafting a rule, pausing a program, or changing a standard, we should remember: that action is not the product of one decision, but of many. It is the result of oversight, vision, and law—shaped by both executive leadership and legislative design. In that duality, we find the essence of American public administration: governance that is powerful, but never singular. Accountable, but never isolated. Structured, but never static. Jean Richard Franck, M.A. Doctoral Student in Public Administration Writer | Policy Analyst | Advocate for Ethical and Accountable Government TIME BUSINESS NEWS
E&E News
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- E&E News
DOT sends cryptic rule on fuel economy to White House for review
The Transportation Department said on Monday it has sent a rule 'resetting' the vehicle fuel economy program to the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review. DOT only vaguely described the action from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and OIRA's website does not describe the rulemaking either. NHTSA declined to detail the rule's content, saying only that more information will be available when it is published in the Federal Register in the coming weeks or months. However, it is listed as a final rule that is not 'economically significant,' and thus does not appear to be the Trump administration's expected repeal of the Biden-era Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards themselves. That kind of rulemaking would have to go through public notice-and-comment rulemaking. Instead, DOT described the action as an 'interpretive' rule. Advertisement 'The Biden-Buttigieg administration illegally used CAFE standards as a backdoor electric vehicle mandate — driving the price of cars up,' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. 'Resetting CAFE standards as Congress' intended will lower vehicle costs and ensure the American people can purchase the cars they want.'
