Proposed Bill Aims to Cut H-1B Visa Holders in the U.S.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) is set to unveil a bill on Tuesday that seeks to drastically lower the number of H-1B visa holders in white-collar positions across the United States.

The legislation, which is being made public on Tuesday morning, will end the current policy that allows for unlimited renewals of the 85,000 visas allocated to companies annually. Instead, it will start counting renewals as if they were new visa applications.

This unlimited renewal policy has, until now, enabled roughly 750,000 H-1B workers to continue in careers that typically would go to younger American graduates. If the proposed changes take effect, the number of H-1B visa holders at companies is expected to drop to about 250,000.

The Cotton bill also removes the exemption that has allowed H-1B visas to bypass the 85,000 cap when granted to nonprofit organizations such as universities, research institutions, hospitals, and K-12 education roles. The increasing presence of H-1B workers in nonprofits, skilled in various fields including education and healthcare, is seen as a concern for many American job seekers.

A count by Breitbart News in 2016 indicated that around 100,000 H-1B and J-1 visa employees were present in the nonprofit sector.

“Higher education shouldn’t get special treatment to attract anti-American educators globally. This bill closes those loopholes that universities have exploited for too long,” Cotton remarked at a press conference.

His proposed legislation is designed to encourage U.S. companies to prioritize hiring amid a growing pool of unemployed and underemployed STEM graduates.

Rosemary Jenks, co-founder and policy director of the Immigration Accountability Project, commented, “It’s a positive step to limit the influx of foreign workers displacing American employees. But ideally, the H-1B program should be abolished altogether.”

This bill is part of a larger wave of reform efforts being pushed by Senators Jim Banks (R-OH), Eric Schmidt (R-MO), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), along with former President Donald Trump.

The White House previously noted that a substantial shift in the workforce due to misuse of the H-1B program could endanger both economic stability and national security.

The population of foreign STEM workers in the U.S. more than doubled from 2000 to 2019, growing from 1.2 million to nearly 2.5 million, while the overall employment in STEM fields rose only by 44.5% during the same period. The proportion of foreign workers in computer and mathematics roles increased from 17.7% in 2000 to 26.1% in 2019.

…

There are serious national security concerns related to the H-1B program. Domestic law enforcement has flagged numerous H-1B-reliant outsourcing firms for engaging in visa fraud and other illegal activities, raising alarms over the influx of foreign workers.

A current survey has revealed that many technical professionals who lean Democratic view the H-1B program as a direct threat to their careers.

In fact, 56% of individuals who backed those policies indicated they see H-1B visa holders as competition for their jobs. Furthermore, 60% of Americans believe hiring should prioritize U.S. citizens and green cardholders.

A report in August highlighted one graduate’s experience. Adam Mitchell, who studied computer science at Georgia State University, believed he was on track for a successful career after internships in web development. However, he found the job market to be harsher than expected.

“I thought with my three years of internship experience, landing a job would be easy,” Mitchell shared. “But I quickly realized how wrong I was. Nothing seemed available.”

After graduating, he applied for over 100 positions, secured only two interviews, and one job offer—ultimately declining roles that he didn’t find suitable.

“I’m just searching for something, anything, really. Who knows if the tech sector will reclaim its former strength?”