In September, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced a bill designed to institute critical reforms to the H-1B visa system, closing loopholes that displace American workers in favor of cheap foreign labor. The FAIR-supported American Tech Workforce Act would:
• Raise the wage floor for H-1B visas from $60,000 to $150,000
• End the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program
• Replace the H-1B lottery with a system that awards visas to the highest bidder
The H-1B program allows American companies to bring in foreign workers in certain “specialty occupations,” such as engineering or information technology. Originally intended to fulfill a company’s legitimate employment needs, the program has become a way for companies – primarily tech giants – to replace American workers with cheap foreign labor.
Mass layoffs of U.S. citizens at American tech companies have become everyday occurrences over the past few decades. For example, Intel laid off at least 2,887 U.S. tech workers in 2024 alone. In the same year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency largely in charge of the H-1B visa program, approved 851 petitions from Intel for new H-1B employees. Google laid off 951 U.S. employees in 2024 but hired 1,058 new H-1B workers.