US senator seeks three-year H-1B visa pause with USD 100,000 fee revival

Senator Tim Sheehy has introduced a bill seeking a three-year halt on new H-1B visas. The measure would tighten the programme sharply, signalling a tougher US line on foreign hiring.A US senator has introduced a bill in the Senate seeking a three-year pause on new H-1B visas and a return of the USD 100,000 fee for each H-1B petition that was imposed by the Trump administration but later struck down by a federal court. The proposal would also make wider changes to the visa programme used by American companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers.Senator Tim Sheehy, a Republican from Montana, said the US should not be issuing visas that make it easier to undercut the rights of American workers. His proposed law, called the End H-1B Abuse Act, is backed by the Immigration Accountability Project and the Federation for American Immigration Reform.The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ highly skilled foreign workers in speciality occupations requiring theoretical or technical expertise. American technology companies rely on it to hire tens of thousands of workers each year from countries such as India and China.In a statement on Thursday, Sheehy said, "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 added, "My legislation, the End H-1B Abuse Act, restores the programme to its original intent and puts American workers first by closing loopholes that incentivise abuse, strengthening guardrails and prioritising our national security interests." Sheehy also described the End H-1B Abuse Act as "a critical, proactive step" to protect American workers, curb H-1B fraud, and address what he called national security risks created by a programme that has operated for years with inadequate guardrails.The bill seeks to stop the issuance of new H-1B visas for three years and then restart the programme under tighter limits and higher standards. It also proposes to write into law President Donald Trump's USD 100,000 fee for each H-1B petition. On Friday, the Boston-based First Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Trump administration's motion to stay US District Judge Leo T Sorokin's June 8 ruling that struck down the fee, calling it an unlawful tax not authorised by Congress.The proposed law would also permanently replace the random lottery system with a wage-based selection system and ban concurrent employment and third-party staffing-agency models. It further seeks to end the "dual intent" provision for H-1B visa holders and prevent H-class visa holders from bringing dependants.It would also bar federal agencies from sponsoring or employing non-immigrant visa holders. In addition, it seeks to end work authorisation for foreign students and certain exchange visitors by stopping Optional Practical Training-style programmes.Overall, the bill proposes a three-year halt to new H-1B visas, the return of the USD 100,000 petition fee, and a broader tightening of the programme, which Sheehy says is aimed at protecting American workers and narrowing the scope of the visa system.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 25, 2026 10:50 IST