Congress pauses H-1B visas for 3 years, then caps program at 25,000 annually

What it does

This bill imposes a three-year pause on all new H-1B visa issuance and, once that pause ends, drastically restricts the program by capping it at 25,000 visas per year (down from current ~85,000), requiring employers to pay H-1B workers at least $200,000 annually, imposing a $100,000 fee per petition, eliminating the visa lottery, banning concurrent employment and staffing agencies, barring H-1B workers from federal employment, eliminating Optional Practical Training for foreign students, and blocking H-1B visa holders from adjusting to permanent residency or changing visa status. The bill benefits U.S. workers by reducing foreign labor competition and raising wage floors; it harms employers reliant on H-1B talent, international students, and foreign nationals seeking U.S. employment.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is to reduce foreign labor supply and raise wage floors for H-1B workers through a combination of numerical caps, fee increases, and eligibility restrictions. While framed as anti-abuse, the operative effect is protectionist labor policy favoring domestic workers over foreign talent and employers.

What the text implies

• The $100,000 annual fee per H-1B petition may be passed to employers' customers, raising costs for consumers in tech, healthcare, and other sectors reliant on H-1B labor.
• Elimination of Optional Practical Training (OPT) for foreign students may reduce U.S. university enrollment and competitiveness in attracting international talent, with long-term effects on research and innovation funding.

The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.

Who stands to gain

domestic workers in tech, healthcare, and professional services (wage protection); labor unions and worker advocacy organizations (reduced competition); domestic staffing and recruitment firms (reduced competition from third-party H-1B agencies)