New US Bill Seeks Three-Year H-1B Visa Pause and $100,000 Fee Standardisation
United States Senator Tim Sheehy, a Republican from Montana, introduced a bill on Thursday that would pause the issuance of new H-1B visas for three years and formalize a $100,000 fee per petition. The proposed legislation, titled the End H-1B Abuse Act, aims to overhaul the skilled worker visa programme, according to news reports.
The bill comes over a month after a federal court struck down a $100,000 fee imposed by the Trump administration on new H-1B visas. In June, US District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston ruled that the fee constituted an unlawful tax not authorized by Congress.
Senator Sheehy said in a statement: “The H-1B programme was created to address workforce shortages for specialised, difficult-to-fill positions — not to displace qualified, hardworking Americans with cheaper, foreign labour.” He described the Act as a proactive step to protect US workers, curb fraud, and address national security concerns.
The End H-1B Abuse Act proposes a three-year pause on new H-1B visas, a reduction of the annual cap from 85,000 to 25,000, and a minimum salary threshold of $200,000. It also seeks to end the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme for foreign students, ban the transition from H-1B to green cards, and eliminate the “dual intent” provision that allows visa holders to pursue permanent residency. The bill would also prevent H-class visa holders from bringing dependents to the United States and bar federal agencies from sponsoring non-immigrant visa holders.
Immigration lawyers say the bill, in its current form, would effectively reset the skilled migration system. The proposed legislation is supported by the Immigration Accountability Project and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
The H-1B visa programme allows US companies to employ highly skilled foreign workers in specialty occupations. Currently, 85,000 visas are issued annually, with 20,000 reserved for advanced degree holders. The programme is heavily used by technology companies to hire workers from countries like India.
Senator Sheehy’s bill would replace the existing random lottery with a wage-based selection system, impose bans on concurrent employment and third-party staffing agency models, and end work authorisation for certain exchange visitors. The bill must pass both chambers of Congress and be signed by the President to become law.
