New York/Washington

A Republican lawmaker in the United States has introduced legislation seeking to abolish the H-1B visa programme, alleging that large corporations have exploited the system to hire cheaper foreign labour at the cost of American workers.

US Representative Greg Steube of Florida tabled the proposed legislation titled the Ending Exploitative Imported Labour Exemptions Act, or the EXILE Act, which aims to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act by eliminating the H-1B visa category altogether.

“Putting foreign labour ahead of the welfare and economic security of American citizens weakens our national interests and core values,” Steube said in a statement announcing the bill.

He alleged that the H-1B programme has increasingly sidelined American workers and young professionals while benefitting multinational corporations and overseas competitors.

“Our workforce continues to be displaced by a visa system that rewards corporations at the expense of American families. We cannot protect the American dream for future generations if we allow their opportunities to be handed over to non-citizens,” Steube said, adding that the EXILE Act is intended to “put working Americans first again.”

The H-1B visa programme is widely used by skilled foreign professionals, particularly from India, to live and work in the United States. Indian nationals form one of the largest beneficiary groups under the scheme.

The proposed legislation comes amid a broader tightening of immigration policies under the Trump administration, which has intensified scrutiny of both legal and illegal immigration pathways, including the H-1B visa.

Last year, then president Donald Trump described alleged misuse of the H-1B programme as a national security concern and signed a proclamation imposing a USD 100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, triggering widespread anxiety among foreign professionals, especially from India.

According to Steube’s office, over 80 per cent of H-1B visa recipients are Indian or Chinese nationals, with a preference for younger workers. The statement further claimed that the programme has disadvantaged American professionals across sectors.

It cited examples including claims that the H-1B system restricted access to residency programmes for over 10,000 US-trained physicians while facilitating the entry of more than 5,000 foreign doctors.

The statement also alleged that Microsoft approved over 9,000 H-1B visas in 2025 while more than 16,000 of its US employees were displaced. It further claimed that FedEx’s use of H-1B visas led to the closure of over 100 facilities nationwide.

In the entertainment sector, Disney reportedly laid off 250 employees in 2015 and replaced them with foreign workers on H-1B visas. Similarly, in 2014, Southern California Edison dismissed 540 workers, whose roles were subsequently filled by employees from two Indian outsourcing firms using the same visa route.

Separately, the US State Department has implemented enhanced screening measures for H-1B and H-4 visa applicants since December 15 last year, including scrutiny of social media profiles.

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These measures have resulted in the postponement of several visa interviews across India, leaving many H-1B holders who travelled home for visa stamping stranded for extended periods.