Trump Extends H-1B Visa Restrictions and $100,000 Payment Mandate for Another Year
· World · Times of India, The Hindu, Reuters
President Donald Trump has extended restrictions on the H-1B nonimmigrant visa programme for another 12 months, maintaining a $100,000 payment requirement for certain H-1B workers seeking to enter the US. The White House proclamation, signed on Friday, keeps the restrictions in place until September 21, 2027, citing that the conditions which led to the original September 2025 restrictions persist. The policy applies to H-1B specialty occupation workers outside the US who seek entry after September 21, 2026, unless their petitions are accompanied by the $100,000 payment. Limited exceptions exist where the Secretary of Homeland Security determines hiring is in the US national interest. The administration reported a 92% decline in H-1B registrations by the largest IT staffing and outsourcing firms and a 97% drop in consular processing requests since the restrictions took effect.
Why it matters
Indian IT professionals and staffing firms reliant on the H-1B pipeline face continued uncertainty as the $100,000 payment mandate sharply raises the cost of sending workers to the US. The policy effectively reshapes who can access H-1B visas, favouring higher-paid, higher-skilled applicants and squeezing mid-tier outsourcing firms that have historically formed a large part of India's US-bound skilled workforce.
Read the original report — Times of India
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