Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers

Summary: This proclamation, signed September 18, 2026, extends the H-1B visa entry restriction (originally imposed by Proclamation 10973 in September 2025) for an additional 12 months, through September 21, 2027. Background: The 2025 proclamation restricted H-1B entry unless accompanied by a $100,000 payment, targeting IT staffing/outsourcing firms accused of using H-1B workers to undercut American wages. It also directed DHS and DOL rulemaking: DHS finalized a weighted selection process (December 2025) favoring higher-skilled, higher-paid applicants, while DOL proposed a rule (March 2026) to better align prevailing wages with market rates. Cited impacts since the 2025 proclamation: Over 700 H-1B petitions have included the $100,000 payment. Large IT outsourcing firms' combined H-1B registrations fell from 24,946 to 2,055 (a 92% decrease). Consular processing requests dropped nearly 97% from FY2025 to FY2027. The share of H-1B registrants holding at least a U.S. master's degree rose from 45.1% (FY2026) to 66.1% (FY2027); the top two wage-level tiers accounted for 46.3% of selections versus 17.8% for the lowest tier. Justification for extension: Despite these shifts, the proclamation states underlying problems persist — recent graduate unemployment stood at 5.7% as of June 2026 (down only slightly from 5.8% in September 2025), and underemployment rose from 41.8% to 42% over the same period. The Secretaries of State, Labor, Homeland Security, and the Attorney General jointly recommended extending the restriction. Provisions: Continues the $100,000 payment requirement for H-1B petitions (with national-interest exceptions at DHS's discretion), requires employer documentation and State Department verification of payment, and requires a joint agency recommendation within 30 days after the next H-1B lottery on whether to extend further.