Washington, September 19 (Daily Kiran) : President Donald Trump has reinstated a $100,000 fee for certain H-1B visa applications, according to a White House fact sheet and an executive order issued on September 19, 2026. The new measures also include stricter scrutiny of employers who have laid off American workers.
The executive order mandates that agencies review applications under the skilled-worker visa program, taking into account recent and anticipated layoffs. The secretaries of State, Labor, and Homeland Security have been instructed to determine if employers have conducted layoffs directly or indirectly over the past year or plan to do so in the future, potentially impacting American workers in similar roles.
This requirement applies to Labor Condition Applications, petitions, visas, and entry into the United States. The order does not automatically disqualify applications solely based on an employer’s layoff announcement.
Trump emphasized the importance of protecting the American workforce, stating, “I have decided that continuous efforts must be made to prioritize and safeguard American workers.”
The White House noted that the $100,000 fee, initially implemented on September 19, 2025, through a separate proclamation, will now be renewed. The fact sheet indicated that this fee applies to select H-1B visa applications, although it did not elaborate on renewal periods or exemptions.
Additionally, the order sets a 30-day deadline for the Labor Secretary to begin reviewing data from previously submitted Labor Condition Applications through the Wage and Hour Division. This review will help determine if further action against sponsoring employers is necessary.
When processing H-1B cases, the departments of State, Labor, and Homeland Security must consult with the Departments of Commerce and Education, as well as the Small Business Administration. These agencies will provide economic data to assist in assessing compliance with legal requirements.
The administration introduced these measures in response to concerns about the displacement of American workers and alleged abuses of the program by certain employers and outsourcing firms. The order claims that technology employers collectively sought millions of H-1B visas while laying off between 800,000 to 1.3 million American employees from 2022 to 2026.
It also alleges that some employers provided misleading information regarding job responsibilities, working conditions, or applicant qualifications. However, neither the order nor the fact sheet included responses from the employers or outsourcing firms regarding these allegations.
The White House reported a 92 percent drop in registrations submitted by major information technology outsourcing firms since the implementation of the 2025 proclamation. It also noted a nearly 97 percent decline in requests for consular processing.
These new measures are part of a broader set of changes outlined in the White House fact sheet, which includes a December 2025 rule from the Department of Homeland Security that replaced random selection with a wage-level weighting system. According to the fact sheet, this system was first used in fiscal year 2027, resulting in approximately a 40 percent decrease in registrations.
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