US H-1B Visa Bill Proposes 3-Year Freeze, $200K Salary

Arizona Republican Representative Eli Crane introduced a bill that seeks to pause the issuance of new H-1B visas for three years and set a minimum salary requirement of $200,000 for foreign workers.

Crane also wants to bar third-party service providers, including outsourcing firms, from employing H-1B workers.

The visa program has long been a sensitive issue in the United States, although Indian IT companies have been steadily reducing their reliance on H-1B visas in recent years.

“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 in an April statement.

It remains to be seen whether Crane can secure enough support to push the bill through both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Critics of the H-1B program have long argued that foreign workers replace qualified U.S. employees, an allegation that outsourcing firms have consistently denied.

During his previous term, President Donald Trump pursued several changes to the visa program, including efforts to restrict employment opportunities for spouses of H-1B visa holders. The administration also imposed a $100,000 fee on certain new H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025.