Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers
5 hours ago
- #H-1B Visa
- #Immigration Policy
- #STEM Employment
- The H-1B visa program has been exploited to replace American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled foreign labor, undermining economic and national security.
- Foreign STEM workers in the U.S. have more than doubled from 2000 to 2019, with IT firms notably abusing the H-1B system to cut costs and replace American workers.
- H-1B abuse has led to higher unemployment rates among American computer science graduates and IT workers, with some companies laying off thousands of American employees while hiring H-1B workers.
- American IT workers have reported being forced to train their foreign replacements under nondisclosure agreements, indicating misuse of the H-1B program.
- The H-1B program's abuse poses a national security threat by discouraging Americans from pursuing STEM careers and enabling visa fraud and other illicit activities.
- A new proclamation imposes a $100,000 fee for H-1B petitions to curb abuse, with exceptions for cases deemed in the national interest.
- The Secretary of Labor is directed to revise prevailing wage levels, and the Secretary of Homeland Security is to prioritize high-skilled, high-paid H-1B workers.
- The restrictions aim to protect American workers' wages and opportunities while still allowing companies to hire top foreign talent when necessary.