Replacing the lottery with a salary-based assignment seems like just common sense to me. Why should we allow over someone the employer says is worth $62k, when we could allow over someone the employer says is worth $110k?<p>As a bonus, it means that the minimum wages aren&#x27;t relevant, since supply and demand of skilled international workers will set the lowest wage that gets admitted to the US.<p>This rule would unfortunately favor employers in high cost-of-living areas over low COL ones. Employees are approximately ambivalent between taking home $5k&#x2F;mo and paying $2k&#x2F;mo in rent, and taking home $4k&#x2F;mo and paying $1k&#x2F;mo in rent. But, the higher rent + higher pay scenario will get admitted well before the lower rent + lower pay.<p>It also incentivizes putting as much of the compensation in salary as possible, and as little as possible in other benefits.