Topic
US non-immigrant visa for specialty occupations, petitioned for by an employer on behalf of a named worker and tied to that specific employment.
Applications to the March 2026 H-1B lottery fell more than 38% from a year earlier, USCIS said, while the $100,000 fee stays held up in the courts. Business Insider concludes that employers with cash and workers with scarce skills come out ahead.
Reality
Twenty IT-services firms filed 31.9% fewer H-1B labor applications so far in FY2026, a third of an 8.1% drop, a dev.to analysis of federal data found. Because the forms also record each employer's offered wage by title, teams that sponsor engineers can price roles against named rivals.
Reality
Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the government will stop taking or processing PERM filings for Microsoft, Adobe and six outsourcing firms. Attorneys told Business Insider the exposure sits with H-1B staff near the six-year cap.
Perspective Coverage
25 publishersReality
Skilled foreign workers are putting off homes and job moves amid the contested $100,000 H-1B fee, according to Business Insider interviews. For managers, a promotion or transfer that needs an amended petition can look like risk to the employee holding the visa.
Reality
DHS says the money is cost recovery, not restriction. For employers, the difference is a contingent $203,265 per hire abroad and a headcount plan hostage to litigation.
Reality
Luciana Pereyra had 31 days of notice and 60 days of grace, and most of the useful ones fell while the universities she was applying to were shut. Her employer set the termination date; federal law set the rest.
Reality