Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers

Immigration Economy & Labor Federal Workforce

In simple terms

This proclamation extends for 12 months a restriction on H-1B visa entry for specialty occupation workers, requiring a $100,000 payment per petition with limited exceptions. It continues measures from Proclamation 10973 (September 2025) to combat alleged wage suppression and displacement of American workers by IT staffing and outsourcing firms.

Federal Register Open PDF 91 FR 60497

Record & deadlines

Sep 18, 2026Signed
Signed by the President
Sep 23, 2026FR published
Published in the Federal Register · 91 FR 60497
Federal Register PDF
Sep 18, 2027
DHS restriction on petition decisions ends
Sep 21, 2027
Expiration of restriction absent extension
Date TBD
Joint agency recommendation on further extension
Sep 21, 202615d ago
Effective date of extended restriction

Market exposure

Policy exposure mapping — not investment advice. Illustrative public companies are incomplete and not recommendations.

Sectors

Technology & software Other industrial

Mechanisms

Ban / prohibitionLicensing

Role pressure

AdverseImporter — IT staffing and outsourcing firms face 92% registration drop and $100,000 per-worker cost barrier; consular processing down 97%
ProtectiveDomestic producer — U.S. STEM workers and recent graduates intended beneficiaries of reduced low-wage foreign competition
MixedDownstream manufacturer — Employers seeking genuinely high-skilled talent may benefit from reduced lottery competition; those dependent on cost-efficient staffing face sharp cost increases
AdverseTrading-partner exporter — Major H-1B source countries (India historically dominant) face reduced worker mobility and remittance/exported service revenue

Geographies

US IN OTHER

Exposure dates

2026-09-21 — Effective date of extended restriction
2027-09-21 — Expiration of restriction absent extension

Illustrative public companies

Curated watchlist matches by sector/role — incomplete; not a recommendation.

MMM3MGOOGLAlphabetAAPLAppleCATCaterpillarFCXFreeport-McMoRanGEVGE VernovaHONHoneywellQQQInvesco QQQ TrustMETAMeta PlatformsMSFTMicrosoftNVDANVIDIAORCLOracleSPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF

Confidence: high · Policy alerts

Key directives

Extend H-1B entry restriction with $100,000 payment requirement for 12 months
DHS shall restrict petition decisions for affected workers for 12 months
Employers must obtain and retain documentation of $100,000 payment before filing
Secretary of State shall verify payment during visa process and approve only paid applications
State and DHS shall coordinate to deny entry to non-paying employers' H-1B workers
Joint agency recommendation to President due within 30 days after next H-1B lottery completion

Who is ordered

Prior policy

otherProclamation 10973

Related orders

What to expect

Immediate

Effective date: September 21, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. EDT
H-1B entry restriction takes effect for workers outside U.S. without $100,000 payment

Near term (90d)

Joint agency recommendation due within 30 days after completion of next H-1B lottery
DHS to restrict petition decisions for 12 months
DOL rulemaking on prevailing wages continues

Long term

Restriction expires September 21, 2027 unless extended
Potential structural changes to H-1B program through ongoing rulemaking
Labor market effects on STEM hiring patterns

Risks & tensions

WTO/GATS compliance concerns with $100,000 entry fee structure
IT outsourcing industry disruption may shift jobs overseas rather than to U.S. workers
National interest waiver (Sec. 1(c)) provides broad discretionary escape valve—implementation uncertainty
Labor market data cited (5.7% recent grad unemployment, 42% underemployment) shows marginal improvement at best
DOL prevailing wage rulemaking still pending; gap between proclamation and permanent regulatory fix
Potential legal challenges to INA 212(f) authority for economic (non-security) restrictions