H-1B Visa Impact on US Jobs: What the Government's Own Numbers in Proclamation 11069 Show
Outsourcer registrations fell 92 percent and US master's grads now make up two thirds of the pool. Here is what the government's own data means for your H-1B odds.
What is the H-1B visa impact on US jobs? Proclamation 11069 gives the government's own answer, and it is narrower than the headlines. The proclamation does not count American jobs gained or lost. It shows who stopped filing H-1B registrations and who filled the gap. The largest IT outsourcers cut combined registrations from 24,946 to 2,055, a 92% drop. Consular-processing requests fell nearly 97% between FY2025 and FY2027. Registrants with a US master's degree rose from 45.1% to 66.1% of the pool.
If you are on F-1, OPT or STEM OPT and hoping for an H-1B, you are now competing in a smaller pool that looks a lot more like you. This guide covers what the numbers measure, what they leave out, and what changes for your search.
Status as of October 2026. Proclamation 11069 (signed 2026-09-18, published 2026-09-23) extends the $100,000 H-1B entry restriction to 2027-09-21. It is in effect on paper, but the fee is blocked by California v. Mullin (2026-06-08) and Global Nurse Force v. Trump (2026-09-30). Wage-weighted selection has been in effect since 2026-02-27. The $103,265 cap-subject fee is proposed. FY2028 registration dates are not announced.
H-1B visa impact on US jobs: the numbers in Proclamation 11069
The proclamation is published in the Federal Register. These are the figures it gives to justify the extension, next to what each one actually measures (as of October 2026).
| Government figure (Proc. 11069) | What it measures | What it does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| $100,000 paid on over 700 petitions | Petitions on which the payment was made since 2025-09-21 | How many employers chose not to file at all |
| Largest IT outsourcers: 24,946 to 2,055 registrations (-92%) | Lottery entries from one employer group | Whether those roles moved offshore, went to US workers, or disappeared |
| Consular-processing requests down nearly 97% (FY2025 to FY2027) | Requests to process a worker through a consulate abroad, rather than a change of status inside the US | Whether people abroad stopped applying or were never hired |
| Registrants with at least a US master's: 45.1% (FY2026) to 66.1% (FY2027) | The education mix of the registration pool | Your personal odds of selection |
| Top two wage levels: ~46.3% of FY2027 selections; Level I: 17.8% | The wage mix of who was picked | What those workers are actually paid on the job |
All five measure filing behavior. None measures US unemployment, wages for US workers, or jobs created. Agencies count what they process, so when you read "the H-1B visa impact on US jobs" in a headline built on these figures, the real story is a change in who gets sponsored, not a measured change in American employment.
How big the H-1B program really is
Context matters before you read any percentage. A Federal Register correction notice published 2026-09-10 gives USCIS receipt totals for FY2025:
- 456,726 total H-1B petition receipts
- 106,711 of them cap-subject
- 96,750 cap-subject receipts per year on average over five years
So about three out of four H-1B petitions in FY2025 were not cap-subject cases. That remainder includes extensions, transfers and amendments for people already in H-1B status, plus cap-exempt filings by employers such as universities and nonprofit research organizations. Cap-subject petitions, the ones that count against the annual lottery cap, run closer to 100,000 a year than to the 450,000-plus that a total-petitions figure suggests.
The registration side is larger because many registrants are never selected. Official USCIS FY2026 data shows 358,737 registrations and 120,141 selected, about one in three. USCIS has not posted FY2027 counts. Law firms estimate roughly 211,600 FY2027 registrations [reported]. Check the USCIS page before you quote it. For more on why a drop in total registrations does not translate one-for-one into better odds, see our breakdown of the FY2027 registration drop.
What changed between FY2026 and FY2027
Two policy shifts landed together, so the numbers cannot cleanly credit either one. The proclamation itself attributes the change to their "combined effect". The $100,000 restriction (first Proclamation 10973, now extended by 11069) targeted workers entering from abroad. Wage-weighted selection changed how the lottery picks. If you want the full list of what is in force, our tracker of H-1B executive orders and proclamations in effect in 2026 is kept current.
| Area | Old rule | Rule now (as of October 2026) | What to do differently |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lottery selection | Random selection | Wage-weighted selection, in effect since 2026-02-27 and used for FY2027 | Understand which wage level your offer is filed at, and ask before you accept |
| $100,000 entry payment | Proclamation 10973, originally a 12-month restriction from 2025-09-21 | Extended by Proc. 11069 to 2027-09-21; fee blocked by two courts | Do not assume the fee is gone or that it is being collected; follow the appeals |
| New cap-subject fee | Standard filing fees only | $103,265 fee proposed (comments closed 2026-09-24, no final rule); if finalized it would cover cap-subject petitions, including F-1 change of status | Do not treat it as law; watch for a final rule |
| Layoffs and H-1B | No express factor | EO 14431 in effect as a directive, no implementing guidance, no automatic denial | Ask a prospective employer about recent layoffs at offer stage |
| PERM at 8 named employers | Normal PERM processing | DOL PERM suspension in effect (announced 2026-10-08); H-1B petitions untouched | If your employer is named, raise green-card timing with its immigration counsel |
What the drop at H-1B outsourcing companies shows
The -92% figure is the most quoted number in the proclamation. It covers registrations from the largest IT outsourcing firms as a group. The proclamation does not name the firms in that figure, so do not assume any single company's count from it. What it does show is that the employers who once filed the most lottery entries now file a small fraction of them.
A separate action affects some of the same firms. On 2026-10-08, DOL announced it would stop accepting or processing PERM labor certifications for eight named employers: Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini. That is a green-card step only. It does not end anyone's H-1B status or stop H-1B petitions. Our explainer on the DOL PERM suspension covers what that means for workers there.
What the US master's share means for you
A pool that is two-thirds US master's holders changes your position in two ways.
First, the master's credential sets you apart less than it did. The cap reserves 20,000 extra numbers for US master's holders on top of the regular 65,000. When fewer than half of registrants held that degree, the extra pool was less crowded. At 66.1%, you are competing mostly against people with the same degree.
Second, wage level now shapes selection. In FY2027 the top two wage levels made up about 46.3% of selections, and Level I made up 17.8%. Under the rule, a Level IV registration gets four entries, Level III three, Level II two and Level I one. Our walkthrough of the wage-weighted lottery explains the mechanics. The wage level reflects the offered wage against the prevailing wage for that occupation and location, and it has to match the real job. A registration that overstates the role is not a shortcut; it is a compliance problem for the employer and for you.
The $100,000 fee, consular processing and travel
The 97% fall in consular-processing requests is the figure most closely tied to the $100,000 restriction, which applies to entry from abroad. If you are already in the US on F-1 or OPT, your employer may file for a change of status instead. Whether that route is available or sensible in your case is a decision for the employer's immigration attorney, not something to work out from a blog post. For where the fee stands right now, read is the $100k H-1B fee still in effect.
The USCIS H-1B page says DHS is complying with the court order and would collect the payment if the order were lifted. Two appeals are live, so this can change.
Travel rules matter here too, because a mistake abroad is hard to undo:
- Interview waivers ("dropbox") are no longer available for H-1B, H-4, F-1 and J-1 applicants.
- Third-country stamping ended 2025-09-06. You apply in your country of nationality or legal residence.
- Stateside H-1B visa renewal is not back.
- The Proclamation 10998 travel ban covering 39 countries remains in effect, unchanged since 2026-01-01.
- Do not travel while an OPT or STEM OPT I-765 is pending.
- Consular wait times change weekly. Check the live travel.state.gov wait-times page rather than any number you read online.
How to use these numbers in your job search
The data points to a pool that is smaller, more educated and more wage-sensitive. Here is how to work with that.
- Read the number's denominator. "92%" refers to one employer group's registrations. "66.1%" is a share of registrants, not of selections. Before a figure changes your plan, check what it is counting.
- Separate status from fee. The restriction is in effect on paper, but the fee is blocked. When a recruiter says "we can't sponsor because of the $100k fee", you can point out, politely and with the USCIS link, that it is not currently collected. Leave legal conclusions to their counsel.
- Target employers whose filings you can verify. The USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub covers FY2009 through FY2026 Q3. Use it to confirm a company has filed recently. Treat any "FY2026 Q4" ranking you see elsewhere as unreliable.
- Ask about wage level and duties at offer stage. You are not negotiating the lottery. You are making sure the role is described accurately and that you understand where it sits.
- Look at cap-exempt employers in parallel. Universities, their affiliated nonprofits, and nonprofit or government research organizations file outside the lottery. They are a real track, not a consolation prize.
- Track the open rules on dated sources. DOL publishes employer obligations on its H-1B program page. For anything about your OPT dates, SEVIS record or unemployment days, talk to your DSO. For anything about a petition, talk to a licensed immigration attorney.
Common mistakes
- Reading Proclamation 11069 as a jobs study. It reports registration and petition patterns. It does not measure US employment, wages or displacement.
- Writing that the $100,000 fee is back, or that it lapsed on 2026-09-20. Neither is true. It was extended to 2027-09-21 and is blocked by two courts.
- Quoting ~211,600 FY2027 registrations as official. It is a law-firm estimate [reported]. USCIS has not published FY2027 counts.
- Treating total petitions as new workers. Of 456,726 FY2025 receipts, 106,711 were cap-subject. Most filings cover people already here.
- Assuming the PERM suspension blocks H-1Bs. It applies to PERM only, for eight named employers. H-1B petitions and status are untouched by it.
- Assuming EO 14431 means automatic denials. It tells agencies to take layoffs into account. It creates no automatic denial and has no implementing guidance yet.
- Planning around FY2028 dates. None have been announced.
Frequently asked questions
What does Proclamation 11069 say about the H-1B visa impact on US jobs?
It does not measure US jobs directly. It reports changes in who registers and who gets selected: a 92% drop in registrations from the largest IT outsourcers, a rise in US master's registrants from 45.1% to 66.1%, and a near 97% fall in consular-processing requests. The government uses these figures to argue its policies are working. That is a claim about filing behavior, not a measured outcome for US workers.
Is the $100,000 H-1B fee being collected now?
No. Proclamation 11069 extended the entry restriction to 2027-09-21, so it is in effect on paper. The fee itself is blocked by California v. Mullin (2026-06-08) and Global Nurse Force v. Trump (2026-09-30). USCIS says it would collect the fee if those orders were lifted, and both cases are on appeal.
How many H-1B registrations were filed for FY2027?
USCIS has not published official FY2027 counts. Law firms estimate about 211,600 [reported]. Check the USCIS registration page for official data. The last official figures are for FY2026: 358,737 registrations and 120,141 selected.
Does a higher US master's share make the lottery harder for me?
It changes who you compete with. About two-thirds of FY2027 registrants held a US master's degree, so the credential sets you apart less than before, and wage-weighted selection gives more weight to higher wage levels. How this applies to your own case is a question for your employer's immigration attorney.
Has the FY2028 H-1B registration period been announced?
No. As of mid-October 2026, USCIS has not announced FY2028 dates, and its registration page still shows the FY2027 dates. Wage-weighted selection has been in effect since 2026-02-27, and no FY2028 change to it has been proposed.
Sources
- Proclamation 11069, Federal Register, 2026-09-23
- USCIS, H-1B Specialty Occupations
- USCIS, H-1B Electronic Registration Process
- USCIS, H-1B Employer Data Hub
- Fee for Certain H-1B Petitions, correction notice, 2026-09-10
- Weighted Selection Process final rule, Federal Register, 2025-12-29
- DOL Wage and Hour Division, H-1B program
- travel.state.gov, visa appointment wait times
Your own I-797, I-94 and I-20 govern over anything published here. If you want help building a target list of employers with verifiable sponsorship history while you are on OPT, talk to F1Jobs.
Frequently asked questions
What does Proclamation 11069 say about the H-1B visa impact on US jobs
It does not measure US jobs directly. It reports changes in who registers and who gets selected, including a 92 percent drop in registrations from the largest IT outsourcers, a rise in US master's registrants from 45.1 percent to 66.1 percent, and a near 97 percent fall in consular-processing requests. The government uses these figures to argue its policies are working, which is a claim about filing behavior rather than a measured outcome for US workers.
Is the 100,000 dollar H-1B fee being collected now
No. Proclamation 11069 extended the entry restriction to 2027-09-21, so it is in effect on paper, but the fee is blocked by two court orders, California v. Mullin from 2026-06-08 and Global Nurse Force v. Trump from 2026-09-30. USCIS says it would collect the fee if those orders were lifted, and both cases are on appeal.
How many H-1B registrations were filed for FY2027
USCIS has not published official FY2027 registration counts. Law firms estimate about 211,600, but treat that as a reported estimate and check the USCIS registration page for official data. The last official figures are for FY2026, with 358,737 registrations and 120,141 selected.
Does a higher US master's share make the lottery harder for me
It changes who you compete with. In FY2027 about two thirds of registrants held a US master's degree, so the master's credential sets you apart less than it used to, and wage-weighted selection now gives more weight to higher wage levels. How any of this applies to your own case is a question for your employer's immigration attorney.
Has the FY2028 H-1B registration period been announced
No. As of mid-October 2026, USCIS has not announced FY2028 registration dates, and its registration page still shows the FY2027 dates. Wage-weighted selection has been in effect since 2026-02-27, and no FY2028 change to it has been proposed.