PROTECT Act of 2026

This bill changes the H-1B visa program for foreign workers in specialty jobs. Employers would have to pay H-1B workers at least the higher of $100,000 a year (adjusted for inflation) or what they paid a U.S. citizen or permanent resident for the same work in the prior two years. H-1B visas for work at a third-party worksite would last no more than 1 year and would require a defined, non-speculative work assignment, and the government would approve higher-paying petitions before lower-paying ones regardless of filing order. Petitions for health care workers such as physicians and nurses would be exempt from new H-1B fees, including those set since September 19, 2025, if the employer shows it tried and failed to hire a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Mike Kennedy Republican sponsor
• 0 cosponsors