A group of Republican lawmakers in the United States Congress has introduced a bill seeking a three-year pause on the H1B visa programme, arguing that it has been misused to replace American workers with lower-cost foreign labour.
The legislation, titled the End H 1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026, was introduced by Congressman Eli Crane of Arizona and co-sponsored by seven other Republican lawmakers.
The bill proposes major changes to the programme, including reducing the annual cap from 65,000 to 25,000, setting a minimum salary requirement of USD 2,00,000 per year, and preventing H 1B visa holders from bringing dependents to the United States.
Among the original co-sponsors are Congressmen Brian Babin, Brandon Gill, Wesley Hunt, Keith Self, Andy Ogles, Paul Gosar, and Tom McClintock.
The H 1B visa programme is widely used by American technology companies to hire foreign professionals, with Indian workers, particularly in technology and medicine, forming one of the largest groups of beneficiaries.
The proposed reforms include replacing the current lottery system with a wage-based selection process, requiring employers to certify that no qualified American worker is available and that no recent layoffs have occurred, banning H 1B workers from holding multiple jobs, and prohibiting third-party staffing firms from employing them.
Additional provisions would bar federal agencies from sponsoring or employing non-immigrant workers, end the Optional Practical Training programme, and prevent H 1B visa holders from transitioning to permanent residency, reinforcing the temporary nature of such visas.
The bill also requires non-immigrant workers to leave the United States before changing to another visa category.
Crane said the measure would expand job access for Americans, strengthen visa regulations, and prioritise domestic workers. “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,” he said.
Gill said he supports efforts to tighten the H 1B system to ensure it benefits American workers first.
Gosar argued that the programme has been used to replace domestic workers with cheaper foreign labour, calling the bill a step towards restoring fairness in the job market.
Ogles said the legislation is necessary to protect American workers, criticising corporations for relying on lower-cost foreign labour.
Rosemary Jenks, co-founder of the Immigration Accountability Project, described the proposal as the strongest H 1B reform bill introduced in Congress, stating that the programme was originally intended as a temporary solution to fill labour gaps while Americans are trained for those roles.
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