- The White House extended the restriction for 12 months, through September 21, 2027.
- The proclamation keeps a $100,000 payment requirement for certain H-1B petitions and entries, not every case.
- A separate order directs agencies to scrutinize employers’ layoffs; a proposed grace-period change is not yet in effect.
The White House extended restrictions on H-1B visas for another 12 months, but its latest actions do not end the program. They continue a restriction on certain entries and petitions while directing agencies to increase scrutiny of some employers.
The extension came on September 18, 2026. The administration also issued a separate order on program integrity, creating two related but distinct measures.
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The proclamation extends a 2025 restriction. It does not announce a shutdown.
The measure keeps a $100,000 payment requirement in place for certain petitions and entries. The White House says the policy aims to address abuses it says can displace U.S. workers and affect national security. The payment rule applies to specified cases, not every petition. (Proclamation)
The administration said the earlier restriction had resulted in payments on over 700 petitions by the time it extended the policy. That figure relates to the earlier measure, not a count of every petition now subject to the requirement. (White House fact sheet)
A separate order directs agencies to examine employers’ layoffs
The executive order tells the Departments of State, Labor, and Homeland Security to scrutinize employers that recently laid off, or plan to lay off, similarly situated U.S. workers. The review can reach multiple stages of the process.
The agencies are directed to consider those layoffs when reviewing labor condition applications, petitions, visa decisions, and requests for entry. The instruction expands attention to employer staffing decisions; it does not itself terminate the visa category. (Executive order)
DHS has proposed a separate change for workers who lose jobs
On September 10, 2026, DHS proposed ending the 60-day grace period available to H-1B holders and some other visa holders after job loss. The proposal would eliminate the time workers currently have under that period to address their status after employment ends.
If finalized, affected workers would have to leave the United States immediately when their jobs end. The proposal is separate from the entry restriction extension and remains a proposal, not a rule described as already in effect. (Proposal coverage)
Another possible change involves filing costs. Reports have described administration consideration of substantially higher charges for some applicants, including a proposed figure of around $103,265 for some new filings. That figure concerns a separate fee proposal, not the payment requirement in the proclamation.
The extended restriction runs through 12:00 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 21, 2027. The proclamation sets that endpoint for the extension. (White House proclamation)
