President Donald Trump has signed an executive order tightening scrutiny of H-1B visa applications from employers that have laid off American workers.

The order, signed September 18, 2026 and titled “Enhancing Program Integrity and Interagency Coordination in the Administration of the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Program”, directs the State, Labor and Homeland Security departments to consider whether a sponsoring employer has conducted layoffs in the past year, or plans future ones, that hurt similarly situated US workers.

The administration argues the skilled-worker programme has been abused. The order claims technology employers requested hundreds of thousands of H-1B visas while the industry laid off between 800,000 and 1.3 million American workers from 2022 through 2026. “Our message to corporate America is simple,” Vice President JD Vance said. “We’re not going to let you lay off American workers so you can replace them with cheap foreign labor.”

The order also directs the Labor Department to review previously filed applications within 30 days. A separate proclamation renewed the $100,000 H-1B fee, though it remains blocked by a court order.