By The H1B Visa program is under the most serious legislative threat in its three-decade history. A growing bloc of Republican lawmakers — backed by Trump allies in Congress — has introduced multiple bills in 2026 that could pause, gut, or permanently eliminate the program that hundreds of thousands of Indian professionals depend on to live and work in the United States.
The latest and most sweeping of these is the End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026, introduced by Congressman Eli Crane on April 22, 2026. It marks a turning point in what was already an escalating war on skilled worker visas.
What Is the H1B Visa and Why Does It Matter
The H1B Visa is a non-immigrant work visa that allows US companies to hire foreign professionals in specialty occupations — primarily technology, engineering, medicine, and research. The program was established under the Immigration Act of 1990 and has since become the backbone of America’s skilled immigration pipeline.
The annual cap currently stands at 85,000 visas — 65,000 for general applicants and an additional 20,000 reserved for holders of advanced degrees from US universities. Because demand vastly exceeds supply, USCIS selects petitions through a lottery system every April.
Indian nationals dominate the program, accounting for over 70 percent of all H-1B visas approved — a pattern that has held steady for years. Indian software engineers, doctors, researchers, and STEM graduates have long relied on the H1B Visa as their primary path into the American workforce.
Around 6 percent of the US physician workforce consists of Indian-origin doctors, many of whom hold H-1B status. In the technology sector, the reliance is even greater — upwards of 80 percent of computer-related H-1B roles have historically gone to Indian nationals.
The End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026 — What It Proposes
Congressman Eli Crane introduced the End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026 with seven Republican co-sponsors, including Reps. Brian Babin, Brandon Gill, Paul Gosar, Wesley Hunt, Tom McClintock, Keith Self, and Andy Ogles.
The bill does not simply ask for minor tweaks. Its scope is transformational.
The proposal would reduce the annual H-1B cap from 65,000 to 25,000 and eliminate existing exemptions. The current lottery system would be replaced by a wage-based selection model, and employers would need to certify that no qualified American worker was available and that no recent layoffs had occurred.
A minimum H-1B salary of $200,000 per year would be mandated — a figure that would effectively price out a large portion of the program’s current usage. H-1B workers would be barred from holding multiple jobs, and third-party staffing agencies would be prohibited from employing them.
The bill also disallows H-1B workers from bringing dependents to the United States. Federal agencies would be barred from sponsoring or employing nonimmigrant workers. Optional Practical Training — widely used by international students as a pathway to employment — would end entirely.
Most critically, H-1B holders would be prohibited from adjusting their status to permanent residency, and nonimmigrants would be required to depart the US before switching to another visa category. Crane described the bill as a corrective measure: “The federal government should work for hardworking citizens, not the profit margins of massive corporations.”
5 Bills Trump Allies Pushed Against the H1B Visa
The Crane bill is not an isolated move. It sits inside a broader and accelerating legislative campaign by Republican lawmakers. Here are five bills currently in play:
1. End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026 (Rep. Eli Crane) A three-year pause on the program, followed by sweeping structural reforms including a wage floor of $200,000, a reduced cap of 25,000, and no path to permanent residency for H-1B holders.
2. Assimilation Act (Rep. Andy Ogles) Ogles introduced a proposal calling for the complete dismantling of the H-1B program. The bill states that “all immigration to the United States shall serve the economic, cultural, and security interests of the United States as determined by Congress.” It aims to end chain migration, tighten background checks, and enforce a “good moral character” requirement. Ogles called it “the biggest immigration overhaul of the century.”
3. EXILE Act (Rep. Greg Steube) The Ending Exploitative Imported Labour Exemptions Act seeks to eliminate the H-1B program entirely from 2027 by reducing visa numbers to zero. Steube argued: “Prioritising foreign labour over the well-being and prosperity of American citizens undermines our values and national interests.”
4. PAUSE Act (Rep. Chip Roy) In late 2025, Rep. Chip Roy proposed the Pausing on Admissions Until Security Ensured Act, which would eliminate H-1B visas as a category, scrap OPT, and end related immigration pathways including chain migration and the diversity visa system.
5. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Phase-Out Bill (Rep. MTG) Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a bill to aggressively phase out the H-1B program, arguing that Big Tech, AI giants, hospitals, and industries across the board have abused the system to replace American workers.
None of these bills have passed into law yet. All remain in the legislative pipeline. However, the sheer volume and overlap of proposals signals a sustained political effort to reshape — or end — the H1B Visa as it currently exists.
The Trump Factor: $100,000 Fee Already in Effect
Congressional bills aside, the Trump administration has already taken direct executive action against the H1B Visa.
In September 2025, Trump introduced a $100,000 fee for new H-1B applications filed from outside the United States. “We need workers, we need great workers, and this pretty much ensures that that’s going to happen,” he said, adding that the policy would force companies to reconsider hiring abroad purely for cost reasons.
The proclamation restricts the entry of H-1B nonimmigrants seeking to perform services in a specialty occupation unless their petitions are accompanied by payment of $100,000. The restrictions apply only to petitions filed after September 21, 2025.
A US judge upheld the $100,000 application fee in late 2025, cementing what Bloomberg described as “a year of immigration chaos that is hurting Indian businesses and families.”
This fee alone represents a seismic shift. For many small and mid-sized employers, a six-figure application cost makes the H1B Visa economically unviable. Large tech companies can absorb it. Smaller firms — and the workers they sponsor — largely cannot.
What This Means for Indian Professionals
The stakes could not be higher for India.
Around 283,397 Indian nationals currently hold H-1B visas, compared to approximately 46,680 from China. Companies like Amazon, Meta, and Google are among the program’s largest employers.
If even one of the more extreme bills — such as the EXILE Act — advances, the pipeline for new Indian workers would close almost entirely. Those already holding H-1B status would face growing uncertainty about renewals, green card pathways, and dependent visas for spouses and children.
The removal of the green card pathway — proposed by multiple bills — is particularly severe. Hundreds of thousands of Indian nationals are already caught in multi-decade green card backlogs. Cutting off even the theoretical path to permanent residency would strand them in indefinite visa limbo.
For Indian IT companies operating in the US — including Infosys, TCS, and Wipro — the ripple effect is equally serious. These firms have long relied on H-1B placements to staff client projects. A $200,000 wage floor, combined with bans on third-party staffing, would dismantle their current business model in the American market.
What This Means for US Companies
The bills do not only affect foreign workers. American employers — especially in technology and healthcare — stand to lose a reliable pipeline of specialized talent.
The technology sector has faced a sustained shortage of qualified engineers and developers. The H1B Visa has historically filled that gap. A three-year freeze, combined with a $200,000 minimum salary requirement and a cap of 25,000 visas, would shrink that pipeline dramatically.
Healthcare faces an equally urgent problem. Indian-origin physicians staff hospitals across rural and underserved America. Many of these regions already struggle to attract and retain doctors. Restricting or eliminating H-1B access would worsen doctor shortages in areas that have few alternatives.
Tech giants like Amazon, Meta, and Google have publicly opposed aggressive H-1B restrictions in the past. Their influence in lobbying against these bills will be tested in the months ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026? A: It is a bill introduced by Rep. Eli Crane in April 2026 that proposes a three-year pause on the H-1B Visa program, followed by major reforms including a wage floor of $200,000, a reduced annual cap of 25,000, and the elimination of the green card pathway for H-1B holders.
Q: How many Indian nationals currently hold H-1B visas? A: Approximately 283,397 Indian nationals hold H-1B visas as of 2026. Indians account for over 70 percent of all H-1B approvals, making them by far the largest national group in the program.
Q: Has Trump already taken action against the H1B Visa program? A: Yes. In September 2025, the Trump administration imposed a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications filed from outside the US. A federal court upheld this fee in late 2025. This is separate from and in addition to the Congressional bills now being considered.
Q: What happens to existing H-1B holders if these bills pass? A: Most current bills focus on future applications and new entrants. However, provisions banning dependents, eliminating OPT, and removing the green card adjustment pathway would affect those already in the US. A three-year freeze would halt renewals and new sponsorships.
Q: Are any of these bills likely to become law? A: None have passed as of April 2026. Most face significant opposition from the business community and even some Republicans. However, the $100,000 fee — already in effect and upheld by a court — shows that executive action can move faster than legislation.
Conclusion
The H1B Visa program now faces simultaneous pressure from multiple directions — executive action already reshaping costs, and at least five Congressional bills proposing everything from a three-year pause to outright elimination. For the hundreds of thousands of Indian professionals who built careers in the United States on the strength of this visa, the uncertainty is unprecedented.
Whether these bills advance through Congress or stall under industry pushback, the political direction is unmistakable: the era of easy skilled worker access to the US may be ending. Indian professionals, employers, and policymakers in both countries are watching the next moves in Washington very closely.
Quick Facts
- 283,397 Indian nationals currently hold H-1B visas
- Indians account for 70%+ of all H-1B approvals
- Annual cap currently: 85,000 (65,000 general + 20,000 advanced degree)
- Crane bill proposes reducing cap to 25,000
- $100,000 application fee already in effect since September 21, 2025
- At least 5 Republican bills currently targeting the H-1B program
