S. 5097, Immigration Restriction & Labor Market Restructuring. Quorum's AI analysis reads it as a net cost — and names who bears it.
S. 5097 · Net cost
What it does
This bill imposes a three-year pause on all new H-1B visa issuance and fundamentally restructures the program for any visas issued after that pause ends. It raises the wage floor to $200,000/year, eliminates the visa lottery in favor of wage-based allocation, bans H-1B workers from changing employers or working for staffing agencies, prohibits federal agencies from hiring H-1B workers, eliminates Optional Practical Training (OPT) for foreign students, bars H-1B visa holders from adjusting to permanent residency, and imposes a $100,000 per-petition fee on employers. The bill also restricts H-1B visas to primary workers only, eliminating spousal and dependent visas.
The analysis names Domestic workers in competing occupations (potential wage protection, though effect uncertain) — and 1 more group — among the beneficiaries.
The cost
The $200,000 wage floor may price out mid-level skilled workers in many sectors (software, healthcare, engineering), potentially reducing overall H-1B hiring and shifting demand to other visa categories or offshore work.
The analysis put a high warning level on this bill. Transparency scores 75%, and the analysis found no provisions unrelated to the bill's subject.
Who is behind it
Filed by Tim Sheehy. Cosponsored by Bernie Moreno and Mike Lee.
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