Trump signs Russia and Iran sanctions law and extends US$100,000 H-1B visa fee

PTI, September 19, 2026, Washington: President Donald Trump signed the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which seeks to impose steep levies on Moscow and its top energy buyers such as China and India.

"On Friday, September 18, 2026, the President signed into law: H.R. 5334, the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026," which authorises and expands statutory sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions on Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran," the White House said.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which seeks to impose sanctions on Russia's leadership and energy sector -- as well as on collaborators in Moscow's defence industry and its so-called shadow fleet.

The Act also authorises President Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries buying Russian oil and gas, including China and India.

The law gives Trump wide discretion over implementation, including which countries face tariffs, the tariff rates imposed, and whether sanctions provisions are waived.

The law comes into effect within 30 days of signing by the President and requires him to impose duties of up to 100 per cent on goods imported from countries that are the top five purchasers of Russian crude oil or natural gas by total volume during the 12 months preceding enactment.

A country is exempt from the gas-related duties if its Russian gas imports accounted for less than 15 per cent of Russia's total exports during the applicable period and it has taken "significant steps" to reduce those imports.

The legislation targets Russia's "shadow fleet" and other foreign persons involved in supporting Russian energy production or sanctions evasion, including vessel owners, operators, managers, insurers, and other parties engaged in covered activities.

H-1B visa fee

US President Donald Trump has extended by a year the USD 100,000 fee on employers for bringing in foreign workers on H-1B visas, the White House said.

In a presidential proclamation issued on Friday, Trump said the 2025 decision to impose a USD 100,000 fee has led to a 92 per cent decrease in H-1B registrations by large IT outsourcing firms.

"An extension of the 2025 Proclamation will continue to protect the economic and national security interests of the United States, improve labour market access for American workers and graduates, and ensure that employers recruit only the most highly-skilled and essential alien workers when needed in line with the original intent of the programme," Trump said.

Indians remain the single largest beneficiary group of the US H-1B visa programme.

The 2025 decision to levy the USD 100,000 fee has run into a legal challenge and the matter is before two different federal courts.

The 2025 order for a fee hike was set to expire this month.

It did not apply to visas granted to foreign citizens already in the United States on student visas, who make up a large share of new H-1B recipients, or to renewals of current visas.

The order also sets a 30-day deadline for the Secretary of Labour, acting through the Wage and Hour Division, to begin reviewing data from previously submitted labour condition applications.

The review will determine whether further action against sponsoring employers is warranted.

The President also issued a separate proclamation, tightening the scrutiny of H-1B visa applications through better inter-agency cooperation.

"The Order enhances programme integrity in the H-1B visa programme by improving interagency coordination and directing enhanced scrutiny of H-1B visa applications where there is a heightened risk that American workers would be laid off," a fact sheet issued by the White House said.