Spasht.
India-US relations

Trump extends $100,000 H-1B payment rule to September 2027, but courts keep the fee blocked

18 Sept 2026 · 4 outlets · 1 min read

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In 30 seconds
  1. The $100,000 payment for some new H-1B workers hired from abroad now runs to 21 September 2027.
  2. Courts in Massachusetts (June) and California (30 September) have blocked agencies from collecting it.
  3. The Congress said the move will hurt Indian IT firms, professionals and students; the White House says it protects US workers.

President Donald Trump on 18 September 2026 extended by a year a 2025 rule requiring a $100,000 payment for certain new H-1B petitions for workers outside the US, now running to 21 September 2027. The proclamation said the rule had led to a 92% fall in H-1B registrations by large IT outsourcing firms. The fee cannot currently be collected: a Massachusetts court vacated it in June, and on 30 September a California judge blocked agencies from enforcing it under the extension too.

What it means for India

Indian-born workers received 50.3% of new-job H-1B approvals in 2024-25, per USCIS data cited by The Times of India. If courts revive the fee, hiring Indians from India becomes far costlier for US employers. Congress leader Pawan Khera warned it could also reduce remittances over time.

Checked

Claim by claim

✓Verified

The extension keeps the $100,000 restriction in place until 21 September 2027.

The White House proclamation and The Times of India both state the new end date.

The White House · The Times of India
?Unverified

The 2025 rule led to a 92% fall in H-1B registrations by large IT outsourcing firms, from 24,946 to 2,055.

Said by White House proclamation

The figure comes from the proclamation as reported by The Times of India and India Today; our sources include no independent data to check it.

The Times of India · India Today
✓Verified

US agencies cannot currently collect the $100,000 fee.

Immigration lawyers quoted by The Times of India say the Massachusetts order bars collection, and Bloomberg Law reports a second judge blocked enforcement under the extension on 30 September.

The Times of India · Bloomberg Law
In their own words

What each side says

White House

The proclamation says the 2025 restrictions addressed 'significant abuses' of the H-1B programme and 'have proven to be highly effective', and the administration defends them as protecting American workers.

The White House · India Today
Congress

Pawan Khera said the extension would 'hit Indian IT, tech professionals and the student talent pipeline hard', could push professionals to the UK, Canada and Australia, and accused PM Modi of trying to appease Trump.

India Today
As it unfolded

Step by step

  1. Trump signs a proclamation extending the $100,000 H-1B payment rule to 21 September 2027.

  2. Congress leader Pawan Khera says the move will hit Indian IT and students.

  3. A federal judge in California blocks agencies from enforcing the fee, including under the extension.

Honest gaps

Not yet known

  • ?Whether appeals courts allow the government to collect the fee.
  • ?Whether a separate proposed USCIS fee of about $103,000 on some H-1B petitions is finalised.
Who reported this

Sources

Centre · 4

4 outlets across the spectrum. Leanings are a rough guide to who reported it, not a verdict on accuracy.

  1. The White HouseRestriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers
  2. The Times of IndiaTrump extends $100K H-1B visa fee until Sept 2027 but court stay remains: White House cites plunge in filings by IT cos
  3. India TodayH-1B visa fee extended: Congress says Trump move will hit Indian IT and students
  4. Bloomberg LawJudge Halts $100,000 H-1B Worker Fee Memos in Blow to Trump

Spasht writes original summaries. Follow the links to read each outlet's own report. Revision 1.