White House proclamation limits the entry of workers with H-1B visas to mandatory payment of USD $ 100,000

By Canuto

The White House published a presidential proclamation of September 19, 2025 that restricts the entry of certain H-1B workers and requires a mandatory payment of USD $ 100,000 for requests from foreigners outside the United States; The measure, in force since 12:01 am summer time of the east of September 21, 2025, seeks to stop the supposed abuse of the program and alter salary levels and admission priorities.
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• The proclamation imposes a mandatory payment of USD $ 100,000 for H-1B visas decisions of workers outside the US.; The restriction expires at 12 months except extension.
• The White House argues that the abuse of the H-1B program has reduced salaries and displaced US workers in Stem and Ti fields; He quotes data from 2000–2019 and examples of mass layoffs.
• The Department of National Security, State and Labor will coordinate verification and regulatory changes; There are discretionary exceptions for national interest.

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The presidential proclamation of September 19, 2025 imposes a temporary restriction at the entry of certain non-immigrants H-1B and conditions the approval of requests for foreigners outside the United States to the mandatory payment of USD $ 100,000. The measure, according to the White House, aims to stop the abuse of the program that would have reduced wages and displaced US workers, especially in you and Stem. The restriction entered into force at 12:01 am summer time of the east on September 21, 2025 and, except extension, will expire 12 months later.

Announcement context and official arguments

The White House published the proclamation on September 19, 2025, noting that the H-1B program, created to cover highly qualified vacancies, has been exploited to replace US workers with foreign labor of lower salary and qualification.

In the official text it is noted that the proportion of foreign workers in Stem in the United States doubled between 2000 and 2019, passing from 1.2 million to almost 2.5 millionwhile total employment in Stem increased only one 44.5 percent In that period, according to the White House.

The proclamation adds that, in occupations of computing and mathematics, the proportion of foreign workers grew from the 17.7 percent In 2000 to 26.1 percent In 2019, and that the H-1B program was the main facilitator of that labor flow.

In addition, the administration accuses IT companies and outsourcing firms to manipulate the H-1B system: the proportion of IT workers within the program went from the program 32 percent In fiscal year 2003 to an average of more than 65 percent In the last five fiscal years.

Key details of proclamation

Section 1 of the proclamation invokes sections 212 (f) and 215 (a) of the Immigration and Nationality Law, 8 USC 1182 (F) and 1185 (a), to restrict the entry to the United States of non-immigrants H-1B for specialized occupations, unless the petition is accompanied by a payment of a payment of USD $ 100,000.

The specific restriction that will be effective at 12:01 am summer time of the east on September 21, 2025 and will expire 12 months later, except extension. Section 1 (c) contemplates discretionary exceptions that the Secretary of National Security may grant if it determines that the hiring is in national interest.

Section 2 imposes compliance obligations: Employers must obtain and conserve documentation that demonstrates the payment before presenting H-1B requests for foreigners outside the US. The Secretary of State will verify the reception of the payment by processing visa applications.

Section 4 orders departments to initiate regulatory processes: The Secretary of Labor will review the current salary levels in accordance with section 212 (N) of the INA and the National Secretary of National Security will prioritize the admission of highly qualified and well -paid foreigners.

Evidence and examples cited by the White House

The proclamation cites studies and data to support the decision. Mentions a study that detected an average salary discount of the 36 percent In entrance positions for H-1B workers compared to traditional full-time workers.

Examples of technological companies are also indicated that, according to the text, were approved for a high number of H-1B workers and, at the same time, announced mass dismissals: an approved firm for more than 5,000 H-1B workers at the FY 2025 announced dismissals for more than 15,000 employees.

Another case documented in the proclamation recounts an approved company for almost 1,700 H-1B at the FY 2025 that fired 2,400 American workers in Oregon. A third company reduced its workforce in approximately 27,000 workers since 2022 and was approved for more than 25,000 H-1B from the FY 2022.

The official text also states that American employees reported having been forced to train foreign workers who replaced them, and signed confidentiality agreements as a condition for receiving compensation.

Risks to national security and effects on the labor market

The White House argues that the abuse of the H-1B program not only damages wages and job opportunities, but also constitutes a threat to national security. According to the proclamation, agencies of application of the law have investigated outsourcing companies for visa fraud, money laundering and conspiracy under the rich law.

The proclamation also cites a study that estimated that, in 2001, the salaries of American computer scientists would have been among a 2.6 percent and a 5.1 percent higher and that employment would have been between a 6.1 percent and a 10.8 percent greater if foreign workers had not imported into the field of computer science.

As for the recent labor market, the document indicates increases in unemployment rates for computing occupations: of an average of 1.98 percent In 2019 a 3.02 percent In 2025.

Federal figures are also invoked by New York Bank that show high unemployment rates between recent graduates in computer sciences and computer engineering, with 6.1 percent and 7.5 percent respectively.

Implications for technological industry, cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence

For technology companies, blockchain startups and AI projects, the measure can make the hiring of foreign talent and delay additions from abroad. The payment requirement of USD $ 100,000 It works as an immediate economic barrier for many international hiring.

In the crypto and block chain ecosystem, where distributed equipment and global hiring are common, proclamation could encourage remote work models not subject to visas or boost the relocation of talent to jurisdictions with more flexible migratory frames.

Outsourcing companies and IT consultants, widely mentioned in the proclamation, could face changes in their business model if payment verifications and admission priorities harden.

Finally, the review of salary levels and the prioritization of highly paid workers could favor senior and very specialized profiles, but complicate the insertion of newly graduated into the US market.

What follows: implementation and possible legal disputes

The proclamation establishes deadlines: no later than 30 days after the H-1B lottery that follows the proclamation, several government secretaries will present recommendations on the extension or renewal of the restriction. The implementation will be in charge of the Department of National Security and the State Department.

The text indicates that the actions will be carried out “in accordance with the applicable law and subject to the availability of allocations”, and that the proclamation does not create executable rights against the government before court.

They remain to be seen litigation and judicial challenges; Measures of this magnitude usually face challenges in federal courts, especially when they affect employers and workers who invoke economic and contractual interests.

The White House and federal agencies must coordinate the verification of the payment and the required documentation, while the Labor Department begins the regulatory process to review salary levels in accordance with the INA.

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