On September 19, 2025, the White House released a Presidential Proclamation, announcing restrictions on the admission of new H-1B workers into the U.S., unless their petitions are accompanied by a $100,000 supplemental payment to the U.S. government. The proclamation is effective as of September 21, 2025.
On September 20, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shared additional guidance on this proclamation. The latest guidance, posted to the USCIS Policy Memoranda website, states:
"This proclamation only applies prospectively to petitions that have not yet been filed. The proclamation does not apply to aliens who: are the beneficiaries of petitions that were filed prior to the effective date of the proclamation, are the beneficiaries of currently approved petitions, or are in possession of validly issued H-1B non-immigrant visas. All officers of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services shall ensure that their decisions are consistent with this guidance. The proclamation does not impact the ability of any current visa holder to travel to or from the United States."
We continue to evaluate the full implications of this proclamation and will share updates with our community as more information becomes available. Please iso
gwu [dot] edu (reach out to the ISO) if you have questions about your individual circumstances, or review the ISO website and GW's weekly Federal Updates for the latest guidance.
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