Produced by: Manoj Kumar
The U.S. President can’t kill the H-1B program—but can make it nearly impossible to access.
Only Congress can end the H-1B visa permanently. The President? Limited to short-term shockwaves.
A stroke of the pen can halt new H-1B entries, block stamping, and choke off renewals—without repeal.
Want fewer visas? A President can just raise salary thresholds, redefine job roles, and limit who qualifies.
Presidents can order embassies to stop issuing H-1Bs—effectively pausing the program worldwide.
Even Trump’s 2020 ban had a time limit. Presidents can suspend, not dismantle.
By tightening agency policies, the White House can quietly kill approvals without a public fight.
To end H-1B for good, it takes an act of Congress—executive orders alone won’t do it.
Trump’s 2020 order set the playbook: emergency, economy, suspension—then fade-out.