The American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act of 2026 significantly restricts the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations. The bill makes it much harder for companies to employ H-1B workers by requiring them to pay wages at the 75th percentile for the occupation or what they pay similar American workers (whichever is higher), conduct extensive recruitment of U.S. workers first, and certify they won't displace American employees or lay off workers in the same classification within a year. The legislation also limits H-1B visas to just 2 calendar years (down from the current 6 years), reduces the annual cap to 65,000 visas, caps nonimmigrant workers at 5 percent of any employer's workforce, and bars companies from advertising jobs specifically seeking foreign workers. The bill gives the Department of Labor enforcement authority to investigate violations and fine employers up to $100,000 per violation, ban them from hiring H-1B workers for up to 10 years, and allows displaced American workers to sue employers in federal court, while requiring the agency to update related regulations within 180 days.
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