'American dream stolen': US takes dig at India in new ad claiming H1B visa 'abuse'
In a post on X, the department stated that many young Americans have seen their chance at the American Dream taken away as jobs were replaced by foreign workers due to widespread abuse of the H1B system.
The Trump administration’s Department of Labour has released a new social media advertisement accusing companies of misusing the H1B visa programme and replacing young American workers with foreign employees. The message directly points to India as the largest beneficiary of these visas and claims its an abuse of the migrant visa programme.
In a post on X, the department stated that many young Americans have seen their chance at the American Dream taken away as jobs were replaced by foreign workers due to widespread abuse of the H1B system. The post added that under the leadership of the President and Labour Secretary Lori Chavez DeRemer, the government is now holding companies accountable and restoring employment opportunities for American citizens.
Launch of Project Firewall
The campaign is linked to Project Firewall, a Labour Department initiative introduced in September 2025 to audit H1B visa compliance. The programme aims to prevent corporations from replacing American workers with lower paid foreign professionals, especially in technology and engineering sectors.
The 51-second video accompanying the post contrasts nostalgic 1950s scenes of suburban homes and factory floors with present-day employment data. It states that 72 per cent of H1B approvals go to Indian applicants and credits the administration for prioritising American workers. The narration claims that young Americans lost their opportunities as companies and officials allowed misuse of the visa system, and presents Project Firewall as a corrective measure.
Political and economic signalling
This advertisement indicates a renewed effort by the administration to revive the America First employment agenda, with increased focus on domestic hiring and strict visa audits. Officials say Project Firewall will involve extensive checks on companies suspected of using the H 1 B programme to reduce wages or displace American workers.
US ends automatic work permit renewal
The H1B visa rhetoric comes after the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday reversed a policy introduced under the Biden administration and made revetting mandatory for foreign non-immigrant visa holders seeking extensions of their work permits, a change expected to affect many Indian workers as well.
The revised rules, which end the practice of automatically extending employment authorisation documents for certain categories of foreign workers, came into force on Thursday.
In May 2022, the Biden administration had allowed an automatic 540 day extension of employment authorisation documents once renewal applications were filed, without any additional verification. This measure was introduced at a time when around 1.5 million work permit applications were pending, and there was concern that further delays could lead to job losses.
Non-immigrant visa holders in specific categories require an employment authorisation document in order to work temporarily in the United States. The document serves as proof that a foreign national is legally permitted to work for a set duration.
On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced the withdrawal of the automatic extension provision. It said the decision was taken to ensure proper screening and vetting of foreign workers before their employment authorisations are renewed.
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