Washington: US President Donald Trump has extended restrictions requiring a $100,000 payment for certain H-1B visa cases involving workers outside the United States for another year, keeping the measure in place until September 21, 2027.
The extension was announced through a presidential proclamation signed on September 18, 2026. The White House said the move is intended to address what the administration describes as abuse of the H-1B programme and to protect the US labour market.
White House Cites 92% Drop in H-1B Registrations
The administration said the restrictions introduced in 2025 have produced a sharp decline in registrations from major IT staffing and outsourcing companies.
According to the White House, combined H-1B registrations from the largest IT outsourcing firms fell from 24,946 to 2,055, representing a 92% decrease. The administration also reported a nearly 97% reduction in consular-processing requests between the FY2025 and FY2027 cap seasons.
The White House further said that the share of FY2027 registrations involving beneficiaries with at least a US master’s degree increased from 45.1% to 66.1% compared with FY2026.
Who Is Affected by the $100,000 Requirement?
Under the renewed proclamation, entry into the US by certain H-1B specialty-occupation workers who are outside the country remains restricted unless the relevant petition is accompanied or supplemented by the $100,000 payment.
The proclamation provides limited exceptions, including cases in which the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that admitting particular workers, companies or industries would be in the national interest and would not pose a threat to US security or welfare.
The measure primarily concerns new H-1B workers seeking entry from outside the United States. The proclamation does not apply in the same way to every H-1B worker or every type of visa case.
Additional Scrutiny for Employers With US Layoffs
Trump also signed a separate executive order directing federal agencies to take employers’ recent or planned layoffs of similarly situated US workers into account when reviewing H-1B applications.
The Secretaries of State, Labor and Homeland Security have been directed to coordinate with other agencies and consider employment, wage and industry data as part of increased scrutiny of H-1B petitions.
The order does not state that a company with layoffs will automatically have its H-1B applications rejected. Instead, the layoff history is to be considered as part of the review process.
Legal Challenges Continue
The $100,000 requirement has faced legal challenges in US courts. Reuters reported that a federal judge had ruled against the fee increase and that the issue remains under appeal.
The extension therefore comes while the legal status of the fee continues to be contested.
Why the Move Matters to Indian Professionals
The H-1B programme is particularly significant for Indian technology professionals, who represent the largest group of H-1B beneficiaries. The extension could therefore have implications for Indian IT companies, outsourcing firms and professionals seeking to begin H-1B employment in the United States.
The latest proclamation keeps the $100,000 payment requirement in place for another year while the administration continues its broader effort to change how H-1B workers are selected and how sponsoring employers are scrutinised.
