India, May 23 -- Registrations for H-1B visas dropped by 38.5 per cent in fiscal year 2027, with the US saying it had approved more applicants with advanced degrees and higher salaries of those "making a real impact on the economy."

The decision by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is likely to affect the Indians the most, who made up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years. In a post on X on Thursday, the USCIS said only 17.7 per cent of all selected registrations were in the lowest wage category.

"The number of properly submitted registrations plummeted by 38.5 per cent, from 3,43,981 in fiscal year 2026 to just 2,11,600 in fiscal year 2027," the USCIS said.

Nearly three-fourths of...