Republican Lawmakers Want to Stop H-1B Visa Program for Three Years
Introduction
A group of Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Congress has a new law. The law would stop the H-1B visa program for three years. It also makes many changes to the program. The law is called the End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026. Representative Eli Crane from Arizona wrote the law. Seven other lawmakers support it. This comes after President Donald Trump made a rule. The rule asks for a $100,000 fee for new H-1B applications.
Main Body
The new law has many rules. It wants to lower the number of new H-1B visas from 65,000 to 25,000 each year. It says workers must get at least $200,000 per year. H-1B workers cannot bring their family to the U.S. The law wants to stop the random choice system. Instead, visas go to jobs with higher pay. The law also says companies must say there are no American workers for the job. They must say they did not fire any American workers. H-1B workers cannot have more than one job. Companies cannot use other companies to find H-1B workers. Government offices cannot support or hire these workers. The law also stops the program that lets foreign students work after school. The lawmakers who support the law say it helps American workers. Representative Crane says the government should help American people first, not companies. Another lawmaker, Brandon Gill, says American workers must come first. Paul Gosar says the program is used to bring cheap foreign workers instead of Americans. Andy Ogles calls the H-1B system a "scam". Rosemary Jenks says this is the strongest law against H-1B abuse ever. Immigration lawyer Rahul Reddy talks about the law. He says Congress can stop a visa program. If the law passes, the government must follow it. He says there are already some countries with visa restrictions. If the program stops, current H-1B workers must leave the U.S. or change to another visa, like a student visa. The most affected people are from India. Many Indian workers wait for many years to become permanent residents. The law would stop them from changing their status. This may cause questions about the law's fairness.
Conclusion
The End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026 is a big attempt to change a program. Many U.S. technology companies use this program. Most H-1B workers are from India. The lawmakers say it helps American workers. Legal experts say there are many problems with the law. The law is still in the Congress. It is not a law yet.