'Trump should terminate H-1b visa...': Program critics call for stricter rules, security of American jobs

The H-1B visa program is facing renewed scrutiny in the United States as critics argue it displaces American workers, suppresses wages, and enables exploitative labour practices. Advocates of an “America-First” approach say the program, originally designed to fill genuine skill gaps, is increasingly being used to cut costs at the expense of domestic employees.

U.S. immigration attorney Joseph Bovino has been vocal about reform, pointing out that foreign workers on H-1B visas are tied to a single employer and face severe consequences if their employment ends prematurely. Critics also highlight the disproportionate share of H-1B visas claimed by outsourcing firms, which they argue undermines the program’s original intent of addressing specialised skill shortages.

In a recent X post, Bovino said the program allows companies to lay off U.S. employees while simultaneously hiring foreign workers at lower wages, undermining the claim that H-1B visas are issued only when qualified Americans are unavailable. He pointed to Microsoft, which recently cut more than 15,000 jobs while filing over 14,000 H-1B petitions for similar roles, as a prime example of the system’s potential for misuse.

Bovino highlighted that the program often suppresses wages, creating pressure on American salaries, while tying foreign employees to a single employer. “Workers on H-1B visas face a very short window, 60 days, to find a new sponsor if terminated, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation,” he noted.

The attorney also criticized outsourcing firms, particularly from India, for dominating H-1B allocations to supply low-cost labor for positions that may not require specialized skills. He said some of these firms even file for jobs that don’t exist or keep employees “on the bench,” practices he argues undermine the program’s original intent.

Bovino suggested alternatives such as investor and O1 visas, which, he said, benefit both applicants and the U.S. economy while avoiding the pitfalls of the H-1B system.

Reactions to his post were mixed. Some agreed with Bovino that the visa slots should be far more limited and competitive, reserved for top-tier talent. One user argued, “There needs to be very limited H1B visa slots, and requestors need to compete against each other for who gets the visa. A few best of the best, and the rest need to improve themselves.”

Others noted that layoffs at firms like Microsoft affected a mix of Americans, Green Card holders, and visa holders, pointing to corporate practices rather than the visas themselves as the root problem. One commenter argued that broader immigration should be paused until domestic economic issues, such as job security, debt, homelessness, and crime, are better addressed, echoing historical policies aimed at ensuring assimilation.