Trump extends H-1B visa restrictions, including $100,000 payment requirement, for another year
US President Donald Trump has extended restrictions on the H-1B nonimmigrant visa programme for another 12 months, keeping in place a $100,000 payment requirement for certain H-1B workers seeking to enter the US.The White House said in a proclamation signed on Friday that the restrictions imposed in September 2025 would be extended until September 21, 2027. The administration said the move was necessary because the conditions that led to the original restrictions “persist”.“On September 19, 2025, Proclamation 10973 (Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers) (2025 Proclamation), was issued to address significant abuses of the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program,” the proclamation said.“The restrictions enacted by the 2025 Proclamation have proven to be highly effective but the underlying conditions necessitating the restrictions persist,” it added.Under the extended policy, the entry of H-1B specialty occupation workers covered by the proclamation will remain restricted unless their petitions are accompanied or supplemented by a $100,000 payment. The restriction applies to workers who are outside the US and seek to enter the country after September 21, 2026.There are limited exceptions. The secretary of Homeland Security can exempt an individual, a company’s workers or workers in an industry if their hiring is determined to be in the US national interest and not a threat to the country’s security or welfare.The Trump administration has argued that the H-1B system has been exploited by some employers, particularly IT staffing and outsourcing firms, to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign labour.The proclamation said the policy had already produced a sharp change in H-1B filings. According to the White House, combined H-1B registrations by the largest IT staffing and outsourcing firms fell from 24,946 to 2,055, a 92% decline. It also said consular processing requests fell by nearly 97% between the FY2025 and FY2027 cap seasons.The White House also cited a shift towards higher-skilled and higher-paid applicants, saying registrations for beneficiaries with at least a US master’s degree rose from 45.1% of total registrants for FY2026 to 66.1% for FY2027.The proclamation further said the administration would continue to review the policy, with senior officials required to recommend whether another extension or renewal would be in the US interest after the next H-1B lottery.
