Hire American’ order and H-1B visas

What is ‘Buy American, Hire American’?

It is an executive order signed by the President of the United States on the 18th of April, 2017.


What does it say about H-1B visas?

That they should be awarded to the ‘most-skilled or highest paid’ applicants.


How is it currently working?

A lottery is used to determine which of the 200,000 applications received in early April will go first and get a chance at one of the 85,000 available visas.


When can we expect these changes?

 Unclear. U.S. immigration agencies may try to expedite the order as an administrative change only, thus avoiding the lengthy process of changing the law.