3 days ago
1
A hardline Republican lawmaker has introduced a draught authorities successful the U.S. Congress seeking an overhaul of the H-1B visa programme, including ending its usage arsenic a pathway to imperishable residency successful the United States.
Congressman Chip Roy introduced the American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act connected Thursday (June 4, 2026). The projected authorities besides seeks to scrap the optional applicable grooming (OPT) programme, which allows overseas students to enactment successful the U.S. for a constricted play aft graduation.
"For its astir forty-year history, the H-1B visa has been abused, allowing employers to routinely sideline American STEM workers successful favour of inexpensive overseas labour, portion masking layoffs and wage suppression arsenic ‘shortages.’”
"It’s clip to extremity this lottery-based pipeline and regenerate it with a strategy that prioritises merit, enforces existent wage standards, and puts American white-collar workers first," said Mr. Roy, who represents the 21st territory of Texas successful Congress.
The Bill is backed by U.S. Tech Workers, the Immigration Accountability Project, and the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
The authorities comes amid the Trump administration's crackdown connected ineligible migration programmes done tightening restrictions, prioritisation of higher wages for H-1B applicants, and imposition of a $1,00,000 interest connected caller petitions.
Beyond ending a pathway to imperishable residency, the measure seeks to enforce sweeping changes to however the H-1B visa programme operates.
The authorities would necessitate H-1B applicants to show that they support a residence overseas and bash not mean to wantonness it, reversing the longstanding argumentation of alleged "dual intent," nether which visa holders tin prosecute imperishable residency portion moving successful the United States.
It would besides repeal provisions that presently let H-1B holders to widen their presumption portion awaiting greenish paper processing.
The Bill would shorten the maximum duration of an H-1B visa from six years to 2 years, portion prioritising applications offering higher salaries alternatively than allocating visas done the existing lottery system.
What has the U.S. clarified connected H-1B visas? | Explained
"The Bill volition efficaciously code galore of the egregious aspects of the H-1B visa programme that person not simply encouraged but enabled corporations, universities, and NGOs to displace our astir productive workers with cheaper and much quiescent foreigners," Kevin Lynn, President, U.S. Tech Workers, said successful a statement.
Arizona Republican Congressman Eli Crane, a co-sponsor of the bill, said successful a connection that it "delivers important reforms that support aboriginal generations alternatively of padding bottommost lines astatine their expense."
"Congress should beryllium doing everything successful our powerfulness to prioritise our ain citizens alternatively than facilitating their displacement," helium said.
Mr. Roy is retiring from Congress and had been successful the contention for the station of Texas lawyer general. He mislaid the primaries for the lawyer wide predetermination to chap Republican Mayes Middleton.
