In a significant step, a group of Republican legislators in the US Congress has presented a proposal to establish a three-year suspension of new H-1B visas. This has caused concern for many Indian professionals and students who are heavily dependent on this program for employment in the United States.

The proposed legislation is entitled, "The End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026." It was introduced by Arizona Congressman Eli Crane and was supported by seven Republican co-sponsors.

The reason provided for this legislation is that the H-1B system has been misused to replace US citizens with cheaper labour from abroad.

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"The federal government should work for hardworking citizens, not the profit margins of massive corporations. We owe it to the American people to prevent the broken H-1B system from boxing them out of jobs they are qualified to perform," IANS quoted Crane.

Key Republican lawmakers supporting the bill include Brandon Gill, Paul Gosar, and Andy Ogles. 

"I am proud to cosponsor Rep. Eli Crane's efforts to reform and tighten our H-1B visa system, ensuring that our immigration system serves American workers first before foreigners," Gill said.

If passed, the bill would place an immediate three-year moratorium on the issuance of new H-1B visas and would also require major structural changes to be made prior to the resumption of the program.

The bill would make the key structural changes:

  • Decrease the annual cap for H-1B visas from 65,000 to 25,000 and eliminate exemptions.
  • Eliminate the lottery system for selection of H-1B visa applications and create a wage-based selection process.
  • Impose a minimum salary threshold of USD 2,00,000 per year.
  • Require an employer to certify that he or she has been unable to find a qualified US citizen, or that he or she has not conducted any layoffs immediately before hiring an H-1B visa worker.
  • Prohibit third-party staffing agencies from placing H-1B visa workers at client sites.
  • Prohibit H-1B visa holders from having multiple job assignments at the same time.
  • End Optional Practical Training (OPT) that allows international students to work in the US after graduation while applying for H-1B visas.
  • The bill also proposes blocking H-1B holders from adjusting their status to permanent residency and preventing them from bringing dependents to the US. 

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"The H-1B programme has been hijacked to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labour, plain and simple. This bill slams the brakes on a system that's rigged against our own people and puts American jobs first again," Gosar said.