New H-1B bill: What is 'End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026'? How will it impact Indians

 

A group of Republican lawmakers has introduced what immigration experts are calling the most aggressive legislative challenge to the H-1B visa programme in its history. Here is what the bill proposes, who is behind it, and what it could mean for the hundreds of thousands of skilled foreign workers, many of them Indian, who rely on the programme.

What is the 'End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026'?

Introduced in the US Congress by Arizona Republican representative Eli Crane, the bill is a sweeping attempt to restructure the H-1B visa programme, which allows US employers to hire skilled foreign workers for specialised roles when qualified American candidates are not readily available. Crane and his backers argue the system has been misused by large corporations to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labour.

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"The federal government should work for hardworking citizens, not the profit margins of massive corporations. We owe it to the American people to prevent the broken H-1B system from boxing them out of jobs they are qualified to perform," Crane said.

Who is backing it?

The bill has support from a bloc of House Republicans: Brian Babin, Brandon Gill, Wesley Hunt, Keith Self, Andy Ogles, Paul Gosar, and Tom McClintock. Congressman Paul Gosar alleged the programme had been "hijacked to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labour, plain and simple."

Notably, Congressman Brandon Gill, who is married to Indian-origin Danielle D'Souza, is among its co-sponsors. "I am proud to cosponsor Rep Eli Crane's efforts to reform and tighten our H-1B visa system, ensuring that our immigration system serves American workers first before foreigners," he said.

What exactly does the bill propose?

The legislation targets the H-1B programme from multiple angles:

• Cap reduction: Annual visa issuances would be cut from 65,000 to 25,000
• Wage floor: H-1B holders would need to earn a minimum salary of $200,000
• No dependents: Visa holders would be barred from bringing family members
• No green card pathway: The bill seeks to prevent H-1B holders from transitioning to permanent residency
• OPT scrapped: The Optional Practical Training programme, widely used by international students, would end
• Visa switching: Nonimmigrants would be required to leave the US before switching to another visa category
• Federal agencies: Government bodies would be barred from sponsoring or employing non-immigrant workers

Why does this matter for Indian professionals?

Indian workers, particularly in the technology sector, are among the largest groups of H-1B visa holders. A sharp reduction in the annual cap, combined with a $200,000 salary threshold and the removal of dependent visas, would make the programme significantly harder to access, and far less attractive for both workers and their families.

This bill also comes on top of earlier pressure from the Trump administration. President Donald Trump had already announced a $100,000 fee on fresh H-1B applications, a move that triggered widespread alarm among existing and prospective visa holders.

How significant is this bill?

Immigration policy expert Rosemary Jenks, who helped draft the legislation, described it plainly: "This is the strongest H-1B bill that has ever been introduced in Congress. H-1B visas were sold to the American people as short-term visas to fill temporary labour gaps, while Americans are trained to take those jobs."

Jenks added that without the possibility of extensions, H-1B workers would be forced to return home after three years, compelling companies to recruit and train new American hires, raising costs in the short term but, proponents argue, reducing dependence on foreign labour over time.