Washington: A Republican lawmaker introduced legislation to end the H-1B visa program, arguing that it disadvantages American workers and prioritizes foreign labor over US citizens.
US Representative Greg Steube announced the introduction of the Ending Exploitative Imported Labor Exemptions Act, known as the EXILE Act.
The bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act by discontinuing the H-1B visa program, which allows US companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations.
“Prioritizing foreign labor over the well-being and prosperity of American citizens undermines our values and national interests,” Steube said.
“Our workers and young people continue to be displaced and disenfranchised by the H-1B visa program that awards corporations and foreign competitors at the expense of our workforce,” he said.
“We cannot preserve the American dream for our children while forfeiting their share to non-citizens,” Steube added. “That is why I am introducing the EXILE Act to put working Americans first again.”
According to his office, the EXILE Act would amend Section 214(g)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to end the H-1B program entirely. The material states that more than 80 per cent of H-1B visa recipients are Indian or Chinese nationals, with priority often given to younger workers.
The release outlined several examples that it said show how the H-1B program has disadvantaged American workers in recent years.
It said the H-1B visa program has prevented more than 10,000 US physicians from accessing residency programs by facilitating the arrival of more than 5,000 foreign-born doctors.
It said more than 16,000 Microsoft employees were displaced following the approval of more than 9,000 H-1B visas in 2025.
In the logistics sector, the release said FedEx’s use of the H-1B program resulted in the shuttering of more than 100 facilities across the United States.
The entertainment industry was also cited. According to the release, Disney laid off 250 employees in 2015 and replaced them with foreign workers brought in through the H-1B visa program.
Another example listed involved the energy sector. In 2014, Southern California Edison fired 540 workers, the release said, and their replacements were brought in from two Indian outsourcing firms that used the H-1B program.
The legislative text of the EXILE Act states that the measure would set the number of H-1B visas at zero beginning in fiscal year 2027 and in each succeeding fiscal year, effectively ending the program.
The H-1B visa program was created under US law to allow employers to hire foreign workers in specialized fields such as technology, engineering, medicine, and finance.
Over decades, it has become a major pathway for skilled foreign professionals, particularly from India and China, to work in the United States, while also remaining a subject of recurring political debate over jobs, wages, and immigration policy.
(IANS)
