End H–1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026

Key Points

• The bill would immediately halt all new H-1B work visas for three years. After the pause, the annual cap would drop sharply from 65,000 to just 25,000, and the maximum visa duration would be cut from six years to three.
• Employers hiring H-1B workers would face a $200,000 minimum salary requirement and a new $100,000 per-visa filing fee. Companies would also have to prove no qualified American workers are available and that they have not laid off workers in the past 12 months.
• The Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which lets foreign students work in the U.S. after graduation, would be eliminated entirely. Foreign students on F, M, and certain J visas would lose all work authorization.
• People on temporary visas and those granted parole would no longer be able to adjust their status to permanent residency while living in the U.S. This effectively ends the pathway many skilled workers use to eventually get a green card without leaving the country.
• The federal government would be completely barred from hiring anyone on a nonimmigrant visa, either directly or through contractors. Family members (spouses and children) of H-visa holders would also lose their ability to accompany or join visa holders in the U.S.