US signals 'total shutdown' of H1B program

Washington: A major shift in US immigration policy is unfolding as Republican lawmakers introduce the End H1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026, calling for a three-year pause on the H1B visa programme. The move aims to prioritise American workers and reshape skilled migration rules amid growing debate on immigration reform USA and job protection.

The H1B visa is being used by thousands of Indian IT and other professionals to work in the US maybe stopped entirely. Anthony D’esposito, Inspector General at the Department of Labour, was quoted in the media as hinting at a “total shutdown” of H1B in a year.

“We are laying out the case very vividly to the American people. l think that the foreign labour visa program may go in a year,” he said, warning that the authorities were building a sweeping case against fraud in the visa system.

Looking beyond H1B, the official said that his office is targeting colleges accused of exploiting J-1 visas, following the sponsors, grant money and people behind the scheme.” A Presidential executive order now requires federal agencies to assess whether employers seeking foreign petitions have recently laid off similarly situated American workers, and the administration has introduced a $100,000 fee for certain new offshore petitions, along with extended entry restrictions on some overseas H1B recipients through September 2027.

The White House has said the earlier restriction was followed by a 92 percent decline in H1B registrations from the largest US IT outsourcing firms.

The Labor Department also launched a related enforcement effort last year. In September 2025 it announced Project Firewall, aimed at ensuring employers prioritize qualified Americans in hiring and holding them accountable for abusing the H1B process.

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