Washington: Indian-American Congressman Suhas Subramanyam has rejected claims that H-1B visa holders take jobs from Americans, arguing that many immigrants establish companies and create employment in the United States.
“This is not a zero-sum game,” Subramanyam, who represents Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, told IANS in an interview.
“In fact, a lot of folks that come in on, let’s say, H-1B visas, they actually end up starting companies, creating jobs for Americans,” he said.
The Democratic lawmaker acknowledged concerns about the visa programme and backed reforms to protect American workers. But he said the programme had helped the United States address critical workforce shortages and attract people who later became citizens.
“There are some issues with the program that we need to fix. We do wanna make sure that Americans have a shot at jobs,” Subramanyam said.
“But in the end, the H1B program has been successful in plugging in workforce gaps as well as, you know, having some of those folks become future Americans and contributing greatly to our society,” he said.
Subramanyam said many people in his Virginia constituency had entered the United States on H-1B visas before becoming citizens and contributing to their communities.
“There’s so many in my community who started off as H-1B visa holders who are now citizens and who are giving back so much to the community,” he said.
“So we wanna make sure we preserve the program, can reform it, make it better, and also protect American workers in the process,” he added.
The Congressman also criticised attempts to blame immigrants for wider economic problems. Such arguments, he said, diverted attention from systemic issues affecting workers and the economy.
“There are other systemic problems that are preventing that, that we need to address, but, you know, an age-old tactic is to blame immigrants for the economy or for anything that’s going wrong,” Subramanyam said.
“And so, you know, instead of blaming, why don’t we work together and why don’t we make sure that this world, this community, is great for everyone,” he said.
Subramanyam described Indian Americans as an integral part of Virginia and the wider US economy.
“We’re Indian American, but we are American,” he said. “And, you know, we’re proud of this country, and we want the next 250 years to be just as strong as the first 250.”
Subramanyam has represented Virginia’s 10th Congressional District since 2025. The district includes communities in Northern Virginia, part of the Washington metropolitan region and home to a sizeable population of immigrants and technology professionals.
The H-1B programme allows US employers to hire foreign professionals for specialised occupations. Indian nationals have long accounted for a major share of its beneficiaries, particularly in technology, engineering and other highly skilled sectors.
(IANS)
