Trump Extends $100,000 H-1B Restriction for Another Year, Until September 2027

President of Donald Trump/photo:Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia commons

Washington, September 20, 2026: U.S. President Donald Trump has extended a restriction requiring a $100,000 payment for certain H-1B specialty-occupation workers seeking entry to the United States from abroad, continuing a policy first introduced in September 2025.

The White House said on September 18 that the restriction would be extended for another 12 months, until September 21, 2027. The administration said the move was aimed at addressing what it describes as abuse of the H-1B programme and protecting U.S. workers.

$100,000 Payment Does Not Apply to Every H-1B Worker

The measure is not a blanket $100,000 visa fee for all H-1B holders.

Under the proclamation, the restriction applies to certain H-1B workers who are outside the United States and whose petitions are not accompanied or supplemented by the $100,000 payment. The proclamation also allows exceptions where the U.S. Department of Homeland Security determines that hiring particular workers is in the national interest.

The White House said the payment requirement was initially introduced in 2025 and that more than 700 petitions had involved the payment since the measure took effect.

New Scrutiny of H-1B Applications

Alongside the extension, Trump signed an executive order directing U.S. agencies to increase scrutiny of H-1B applications.

The administration has also moved to a weighted H-1B selection system, which gives greater weight to higher-wage positions rather than relying solely on the previous random selection system.

Impact on Indian Professionals

The policy is particularly relevant to Indian technology professionals because Indian nationals make up a large share of H-1B beneficiaries. However, the new proclamation does not create an India-specific ban or India-specific fee; the restriction is framed around qualifying H-1B workers and their circumstances.

The White House says H-1B registrations from large IT outsourcing companies have fallen sharply since the original restrictions were introduced. Those figures are administration-reported statistics, rather than an independent assessment of the policy’s overall economic impact.

Legal Background

The $100,000 requirement has also faced legal challenges. In June 2026, a federal judge ruled the original $100,000 H-1B fee unlawful, and the Trump administration appealed that ruling.

That legal history is important when reporting the extension: the administration has extended the proclamation, but the broader legal dispute over the payment requirement remains relevant.