BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
The H-1B visa program, initially designed to attract temporary, high-skilled workers to fill crucial roles within the United States, stands at a crossroads. What was once a noble endeavor has devolved into a convoluted mechanism whereby American workers are often displaced in favor of cheaper, sometimes less qualified labor. This systemic exploitation has not only eroded the economic stability of American workers but has also posed significant threats to national security. Employers across various sectors have turned the H-1B statute into a tool for wage suppression, resulting in a challenging labor market for U.S. citizens, especially in critical fields such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
From 2000 to 2019, the number of foreign STEM workers more than doubled, escalating from 1.2 million to approximately 2.5 million, while overall employment in STEM fields grew a mere 44.5 percent. Notably, the foreign share of the computing and mathematics workforce swelled from 17.7 percent in 2000 to 26.1 percent in 2019. The lion’s share of this increase has been facilitated by the unscrupulous use of the H-1B visa program.
Information technology firms, in particular, have adeptly manipulated the H-1B system, inflicting severe damage on American IT workers. Statistics reveal that the proportion of IT employees within the H-1B program surged from 32 percent in Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 to over 65 percent in the recent five years. Many of the highest-volume H-1B employers are IT outsourcing firms, which thrive on the significant cost advantages they reap—one study indicated a hefty 36 percent discount for “entry-level” H-1B positions compared to their full-time American counterparts. This shift encourages companies to shutter their domestic IT departments, terminate American staff, and outsource jobs to foreign workers who command lower pay.
Furthermore, the H-1B visa abuse poses obstacles to recent college graduates aspiring to enter the IT workforce. They find themselves in a tight labor market where foreign workers are hired at competitive discounts, exacerbating the job hunt for U.S. graduates. Alarmingly, a 2022 study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York highlights the dismal situation: among college graduates aged 22 to 27, computer science and computer engineering majors now face unemployment rates of 6.1 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively—significantly higher than the rates for graduates in fields like biology or art history.
Numerous American technology firms have simultaneously deployed layoffs of qualified American employees while massively increasing their H-1B hiring. One notable software company secured approval for over 5,000 H-1B workers in FY 2025 while informing the public of a workforce reduction of more than 15,000 personnel. Another IT firm laid off 2,400 American workers in Oregon just as it welcomed nearly 1,700 H-1B workers. A third company has squashed around 27,000 American jobs since 2022 but has been allowed to bring in over 25,000 foreign H-1B workers during the same period.
Reports reveal that American tech employees are often pressured to train foreign replacements and forced to sign confidentiality agreements regarding their severance packages, suggesting that these visas are not being used to fill genuine skill shortages. Instead, the influx of low-wage workers undermines the integrity of the program, negatively impacting wage levels and job opportunities for American workers, particularly in entry-level positions. The misuse of this program has indeed prevented American employers in various industries from leveraging the H-1B program as intended: to access highly skilled labor that is genuinely unavailable in the U.S.
Moreover, such abuses of the H-1B program have national security implications. Investigations by domestic law enforcement have uncovered cases of visa fraud and other illicit activities linked to H-1B-reliant companies, including violations of money laundering statutes. The continued exploitation of this program also discourages American talent from pursuing careers in science and technology, thereby jeopardizing U.S. leadership in these pivotal industries. A 2017 study indicated that American computer scientists could have seen a wage increase of 2.6 percent to 5.1 percent, along with improved employment prospects, had foreign displacement not been a factor.
Faced with these challenges, it becomes imperative to impose stricter regulations and costs on companies aiming to utilize the H-1B visa framework, ensuring that they hire only the most highly skilled and heavily compensated foreign workers.
Given the extensive damage inflicted by the rampant abuse of this program on both our economic and national security, I hereby determine that the unrestricted influx of certain foreign workers outlined in this proclamation is not in the United States’ best interests, as it adversely affects American workers’ wages.
Thus, by authority vested in me as President, I hereby order:
Section 1. Restriction on Entry. (a) Pursuant to sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the entry of nonimmigrant aliens to perform services in specialty occupations under section 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b) of the INA is hereby restricted. Eligible petitions must now be accompanied by a payment of $100,000, except where specified in subsection (c). This restriction will lapse in 12 months from its effective date, outlined as 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 21, 2025.
(b) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall defer decisions on petitions without this $100,000 payment for H-1B specialty occupation workers who are currently outside the United States for a duration of 12 months following the effective date of this proclamation. The Secretary of State shall provide necessary guidance to prevent the misuse of B visas by beneficiaries of approved H-1B petitions commencing prior to October 1, 2026.
(c) These restrictions will not apply to any individual or group if the Secretary of Homeland Security deems the hiring of such individuals to be in the national interest and non-threatening to the security or welfare of the U.S.
Sec. 2. Compliance. (a) Employers, prior to submitting an H-1B petition for any external alien, must secure and retain documentation proving that the specified payment has been made.
(b) The Secretary of State shall confirm receipt of this payment during the H-1B visa petition process and will approve only petitions evidencing compliance.
(c) The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State will coordinate to take necessary actions to enforce this proclamation and bar entry to any H-1B nonimmigrant whose employer has not made the required payment.
Sec. 3. Implementation of Entry Restrictions. (a) The restrictions outlined will apply exclusively to individuals who enter or attempt to enter the U.S. after the effective date of this proclamation.
(b) Within 30 days of the conclusion of the H-1B lottery subsequent to this proclamation, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall present a recommendation to the President on the necessity of extending or renewing these entry restrictions.
Sec. 4. Amending Prevailing Wage Levels. (a) The Secretary of Labor shall initiate a ruling to adjust prevailing wage levels to meet the policy goals established in this proclamation.
(b) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall initiate procedures to prioritize nonimmigrant admissions for high-skilled and high-paid aliens.
Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing herein shall impair or affect the authority conferred by law upon any executive department, agency, or its head.
(b) This proclamation is to be implemented in accordance with applicable law and subject to available funding.
(c) This declaration does not create any enforceable rights or benefits at law or in equity against the United States or its entities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
nineteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
