# 119-s-2941: Visa Cap Enforcement Act

119-s-2941, Visa Cap Enforcement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2941
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2941
- Congress: 119
- Title: Visa Cap Enforcement Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

This bill would **tighten enforcement of the H-1B visa numerical cap** by removing select exemptions and making more status and employer changes count against the annual limit. It adds a three-year recapture rule and revises how changes of status and employer are counted. - Workers on H-1B status: Would require an H-1B worker who surpasses 3 years in that status to be counted against the annual H-1B cap in the fiscal year they hit that mark. This creates a recapture mechanism so time already spent in H-1B status can affect cap accounting. - Colleges and research institutions: Would remove the statutory exemption that allowed certain hires by colleges and nonprofit research institutions to avoid the cap. Those institutions would need to use regular cap slots for affected hires. - Employers and hiring rules: Would strike a specific change-of-status pathway and add that approved new H-1B positions tied to an employer change must be counted against the numerical limit. Employers who refile or move employees would have those approvals charged to the cap.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Moreno, Bernie [R-OH] (R-OH), 2026-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL] (R-AL), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Tighter H-1B cap and counting rules: cost, low. If enacted, this bill would tighten H-1B visa limits and counting rules. It would remove the H-1B cap exemption for colleges and research institutions. It would strike a sentence that let some people change status to H-1B. If enacted, approved H-1B employer changes would consume an annual cap slot.…

## Related bills

- 119-s-2342: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026
- 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act

## Sources
- [119-s-2941 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2941)

## Related
- [119-s-2342: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2342)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-292)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5025)
- [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2941 (as of 2026-08-11).