Trump's immigration overhaul: What it means for H-1B and citizenship tests

US to prioritise high-wage roles in visa lottery; tougher naturalisation standards planned

The Trump administration is planning sweeping changes to the United States immigration system, including an overhaul of the H-1B visa programme for skilled foreign workers and a tougher citizenship test. The proposed reforms signal a renewed push to align immigration policy with the administration’s economic and ideological goals.

 

Joseph Edlow, newly confirmed director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), revealed the administration’s plans in an interview with The New York Times on Friday (local time). Edlow, who previously served in an acting capacity in 2020, now leads the agency overseeing work visas, citizenship certification, and asylum programmes.

 

What is the H-1B visa?

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations requiring theoretical or technical expertise. These roles typically span fields such as technology, engineering and medicine. Each year, the government issues 85,000 new H-1B visas through a lottery system, including 20,000 reserved for individuals with advanced degrees from US institutions. The visa is widely used by the tech industry, which argues it is critical to filling talent gaps in a competitive global labour market.

 

H-1B visa reform: High wages over lottery

At the centre of the administration’s plans is a revamp of the H-1B scheme. Edlow said the current randomised lottery process should be replaced with a system that prioritises employers offering higher wages.

 

“The way H-1B needs to be used… is to supplement, not supplant, the US economy and US workers,” Edlow said. He argued that prioritising higher-paid positions would help the programme better serve the national interest and reduce criticism from Republican hardliners who claim it suppresses American wages.

 

Vice-President JD Vance added to that criticism this week, accusing firms of laying off domestic employees while hiring foreign workers.

 

The proposed changes have drawn criticism from immigration policy experts, who argue that the H-1B programme is key to ensuring US companies can hire the best and brightest international graduates of US universities. 

Citizenship test: Return to tougher standards

The administration is also preparing changes to the naturalisation test required of immigrants seeking US citizenship. Edlow said the current version is too easy and undermines the law’s intent. “It’s very easy to kind of memorise the answers,” he said. “I don’t think we’re really comporting with the spirit of the law.”

 

Currently, applicants study 100 civics questions and must correctly answer six out of 10 during the test. Under Trump’s first term, the test was toughened to include more questions and a higher passing threshold. Edlow said the administration plans to reinstate that version soon.

 

US tightens asylum procedures

USCIS under Edlow has already begun tightening asylum procedures, echoing policies from Trump’s first term that had been partially blocked in court. While Edlow has ruled out reviving the controversial “public charge” rule — which denied green cards to immigrants using public benefits — his approach has been consistent, with efforts to restrict access to permanent residency and citizenship unless it can be clearly linked to economic or national interest benefits.

 

Edlow has also signalled that future policy decisions will focus on “net positive” immigration. “If we’re looking at the people that are coming over… to advance certain economic agendas that we have and otherwise benefit the national interest — that’s absolutely what we need to be taking care of,” he said.

 

Donald Trump's US immigration agenda

Since returning to office in January 2025, the Trump administration has moved swiftly to reshape the H-1B visa landscape. The Department of Homeland Security has proposed replacing the current lottery-based selection system with a wage-weighted model that would prioritise higher-paying job offers—a move aimed at aligning the visa programme more closely with the national economic interest. The proposal is currently under review by the Office of Management and Budget.

 

Separately, Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation, the Colleges for the American People Act of 2025, that would eliminate long-standing exemptions allowing universities and non-profit research institutions to bypass the H-1B visa cap, meaning foreign academic staff could soon face the same restrictions as those in the private sector.