H-1B Visa Program Overhaul Finalized by Biden Administration (2)

US Citizenship and Immigration Services finalized sweeping new H-1B regulations overhauling eligibility standards for the primary visa program used by skilled foreign workers in the US.

The regulations issued Tuesday codify a policy of “prior deference” in adjudicating extensions of previously approved H-1B specialty occupation visas, which are most heavily used for hiring by tech and information technology firms. The first Trump administration dropped that policy, significantly slowing visa extensions.

Release of the final regulations comes more than a year after the agency unveiled proposed rules that drew criticism from the immigration bar over provisions tightening eligibility standards even as ...