Tuberville's ASSIMILATION Act: H-1B cap cut to 50,000, OPT abolished
Synopsis
A single Republican bill could redraw the entire US legal immigration map. Senator Tommy Tuberville's ASSIMILATION Act would halve the H-1B cap, kill OPT, block green card pathways, and double the citizenship wait — a direct hit on the Indian-American professional pipeline and a preview of where Republican immigration policy is heading into 2026.
Key Takeaways
Senator Tommy Tuberville introduced the ASSIMILATION Act on 15 May , a sweeping 82-page immigration overhaul bill.
The bill would cut the annual H-1B cap to 50,000 and require employers to pay foreign workers at least 200% of the median wage .
H-1B holders would be limited to a single three-year term and barred from adjusting to permanent residency without spending two years outside the US first.
Optional Practical Training (OPT) and the diversity visa lottery would be abolished entirely.
The citizenship residency requirement would rise from 5 years to 10 years , with mandatory B2-level English proficiency .
A companion bill has been introduced in the House by Representative Andy Ogles .
Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama has introduced a sweeping 82-page immigration overhaul bill that would slash H-1B visas, eliminate Optional Practical Training (OPT), and impose stricter naturalization rules — changes that would disproportionately affect Indian professionals, students, and family-based immigrants in the United States. The proposal, formally titled the ASSIMILATION Act, was introduced on 15 May alongside a companion bill in the House by Representative Andy Ogles.
What the ASSIMILATION Act Proposes
The bill's full name — the American System for Sustainable Immigration and Mass Immigration Limitations Achieved Through Imposing Oversight Nationally Act — signals its ambition. It seeks to replace what it describes as 'family-chain and lottery-based admissions' with a merit-based framework prioritising 'economic self-sufficiency, cultural assimilation, and the protection of United States workers,' according to the bill's text.
The legislation would cut the annual H-1B visa cap from 65,000 to 50,000, require employers to pay foreign workers at least 200 per cent of the median wage for the relevant occupation and location, and limit H-1B status to a single three-year term with no extensions or renewals. Critically, H-1B holders would be barred from adjusting to permanent residency unless they remain outside the United States for at least two continuous years after their visa expires — a provision that would effectively block the green card pathway for most Indian tech workers currently in the queue.
OPT Eliminated, Diversity Visa Lottery Abolished
The bill would eliminate Optional Practical Training (OPT), the post-graduation work authorisation programme used by hundreds of thousands of international students annually, including a large share from India. The diversity visa lottery — which grants up to 55,000 visas per year to nationals of underrepresented countries — would also be abolished entirely under the proposal.
Family-sponsored immigration categories would be sharply narrowed. Only spouses and unmarried children under 18 of US citizens would qualify as immediate relatives. Parents of US citizens would lose eligibility for permanent residency, though they could receive limited five-year nonimmigrant visas without access to employment or public benefits.
Tougher Citizenship and Asylum Standards
The proposal would raise the residency requirement for naturalisation from five years to 10 years and mandate English proficiency at the B2 level under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. On asylum, the bill would bar work authorisation for applicants solely on the basis of a pending claim and introduce a $500 asylum filing fee. Nationwide mandatory use of E-Verify for all new hires and new civil and criminal penalties for visa overstays are also included.
What Tuberville Said
In a statement accompanying the bill, Tuberville said: 'I'm glad to see the Trump administration is working overtime to deport the millions of criminals who came here illegally during the Biden administration.' He added: 'But we also need to remove the incentives that are encouraging people who hate this country to come here in the first place.' The senator further stated: 'Coming to this country is a privilege, not a right. If you hate this country and refuse to assimilate, we do not want you here.'
Broader Political Context
The ASSIMILATION Act arrives as immigration shapes up as a central fault line ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections. The second Trump administration has already prioritised deportations, tighter asylum standards, and expanded enforcement. This bill represents the legislative flank of that push — moving beyond border enforcement into legal immigration architecture. Notably, Indian nationals are among the largest beneficiaries of employment-based immigration and H-1B programmes, making the bill's provisions particularly consequential for the Indian diaspora and for Indian companies with US operations. Whether the bill advances through a divided Congress remains to be seen, but its introduction signals the direction Republican lawmakers intend to push.
Point of View
000, eliminating OPT, and blocking the green card pathway without a two-year exit is not reform — it is a near-total closure of the skilled-worker pipeline. What mainstream coverage underplays is the cumulative effect: Indian nationals already face decade-long green card backlogs, and this bill would freeze that queue while removing the interim work authorisation that makes the wait viable. The 200% median wage floor, if enacted, would also price out smaller US employers, concentrating H-1B sponsorship further among large tech firms. Whether the bill passes is secondary — its provisions are already shaping the negotiating floor for any eventual compromise legislation.
NationPress
30 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ASSIMILATION Act introduced by Senator Tuberville?
The ASSIMILATION Act is an 82-page immigration overhaul bill introduced by Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville on 15 May, which would cut H-1B visas to 50,000, eliminate OPT, abolish the diversity visa lottery, and raise the citizenship residency requirement to 10 years. It aims to replace family-chain and lottery-based admissions with a merit-based system.
How would the bill affect Indian H-1B visa holders?
Indian H-1B holders would face a reduced annual cap of 50,000 visas, a single non-renewable three-year term, and a requirement to spend at least two continuous years outside the US before adjusting to permanent residency. This effectively blocks the green card pathway that most Indian tech workers currently rely on.
What happens to OPT for Indian students under this bill?
The bill would eliminate Optional Practical Training (OPT) entirely, ending post-graduation work authorisation for international students in the US. This would directly affect Indian students, one of the largest groups using the OPT programme after completing degrees at American universities.
What new asylum and citizenship rules does the bill propose?
The bill would bar work authorisation for asylum applicants with pending claims, introduce a $500 asylum filing fee, raise the citizenship residency requirement from five to ten years, and mandate English proficiency at the B2 level under the Common European Framework.
What are the bill's chances of becoming law?
A companion bill has been introduced in the House by Representative Andy Ogles, but the legislation faces an uncertain path through Congress. Immigration remains a defining political issue ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections, and the bill's provisions are widely seen as staking out a hardline Republican negotiating position rather than guaranteed legislation.
