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President Donald Trump signed an executive order on September 18 , 2026 that directs federal agencies to examine corporate layoffs when reviewing H-1B cases. The executive order is titled “Enhancing Program Integrity and Interagency Coordination in the Administration of the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Program.” Its stated purpose is to prevent employers from using temporary foreign labor to displace comparable American workers.

The H-1B program permits companies to hire foreign nationals temporarily for specialty occupations that require advanced knowledge and qualifying education, according to USCIS. The White House argues that some employers, staffing companies, and outsourcing firms have turned that limited program into a source of cheap labor.

The order claims that foreign visa workers can earn between $9000 and $20000 less than comparable American-born employees in industries that rely heavily on the program. It also cites a company warning that restrictions could require it to hire “local” workers who “may only be available at higher wages.” These figures and examples represent the administration’s case for the policy.

Trump also points to technology companies that requested hundreds of thousands of H-1B workers while cutting between 800,000 and 1.3 million American jobs from 2022 through 2026. The order says some dismissed Americans have trained their replacements. It further alleges that outsourcing businesses use visa holders at client sites before transferring work abroad. One foreign minister reportedly conceded that H-1B “has become the outsourcing visa.”

The directive requires the Departments of State, Labor, and Homeland Security to consult Commerce, Education, and the Small Business Administration. Those agencies will share wage, employment, academic, industrial, and economic information while reviewing applications, petitions, visas, and admission decisions.

Officials must consider whether a sponsor directly or indirectly conducted layoffs during the previous year or plans cuts that would harm similarly situated Americans. Within 30 days, the Labor Department must begin reviewing previously submitted labor condition applications and determine whether enforcement is warranted. Existing labor rules require sponsors to pay at least the actual wage offered to comparable employees or the local prevailing wage, whichever is higher.

The order does not eliminate H-1B visas, reduce the annual cap, or automatically deny every company that has announced layoffs. Instead, it expands coordination and directs agencies to develop policy, rules, and operational guidance. Its practical effect will depend on how officials use that authority.

From an America First nationalist perspective, this order is a welcome first step, but it does not go far enough. H-1B exposes the wage pressure and worker displacement associated with mass migration. Washington should sharply restrict legal and illegal immigration so American citizens control their labor market and national future. A better way to start this process is by eliminating H-1Bs altogether