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Published : 27 Jul 2026, 01:44 AM
A Republican senator has introduced a bill to pause new H-1B visas for three years and make the Trump administration's proposed $100,000 application fee law.
Senator Tim Sheehy of Montana unveiled the End H-1B Abuse Act on Thursday, arguing the visa programme should address genuine shortages of highly skilled workers rather than displace American employees with cheaper foreign labour, The Indian Express reported citing PTI.
"The H-1B programme was created to address workforce shortages for specialised, difficult-to-fill positions -- not to displace qualified, hardworking Americans with cheaper, foreign labour," Sheehy was quoted as saying in a statement.
The proposed law would cut the annual H-1B visa cap to 25,000, require a minimum salary of $200,000, replace the current lottery system with wage-based selection and prohibit third-party staffing models.
It also seeks to end the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, restrict H-1B holders from transitioning to permanent residency and prevent dependents from accompanying H-class visa holders.
Immigration lawyers told the newspaper the measure would amount to a near-total reset of the US skilled migration system.
The bill comes weeks after a US federal appeals court refused to reinstate the Trump administration's $100,000 H-1B fee, leaving in place a lower court ruling that declared it an unlawful tax because it had not been authorised by Congress, according to Reuters.
The H-1B programme allows US employers to hire foreign professionals in specialised occupations.
Around 65,000 visas are issued annually, with an additional 20,000 reserved for applicants holding advanced US degrees.
The programme is widely used by technology companies to recruit skilled workers from countries including India and China.
