The H-1B visa programme in the United States is under renewed criticism from those who say it pushes out American workers, drives down wages, and allows for exploitative labour conditions. Supporters of an “America First” approach argue the programme, meant to fill real skill shortages, is now being used mainly to cut costs at the expense of local staff.
US immigration lawyer Joseph Bovino has called for reforms, noting that H-1B visa holders are tied to one employer and risk losing their legal status if their job ends early. Critics also say a large share of H-1B visas go to outsourcing firms, which they believe undermines the programme’s original purpose of filling roles that require specialised skills.
Bovino says H-1B used to replace US workers
In a recent post on X, Bovino said the programme lets companies lay off US workers while hiring foreign staff at lower pay, contradicting claims that visas are only issued when no qualified Americans are available. He cited Microsoft as an example, saying it cut over 15,000 jobs while filing more than 14,000 H-1B applications for similar roles.
Bovino also said the programme suppresses wages and ties foreign staff to a single employer. “Workers on H-1B visas face a very short window, 60 days, to find a new sponsor if terminated, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation,” he said.
He criticised outsourcing firms, particularly those from India, for dominating the visa allocations to supply cheaper labour for jobs that may not require advanced skills. Some firms, he claimed, even apply for non-existent jobs or keep staff “on the bench,” a practice he says goes against the programme’s purpose.
Bovino suggested alternatives like investor and O-1 visas, which he said benefit applicants and the US economy without the problems linked to the H-1B.
Internet reaction
Reactions to his post were divided. Some agreed the visa slots should be fewer and more competitive, reserved for top talent. “There needs to be very limited H-1B visa slots, and requestors need to compete against each other for who gets the visa. A few best of the best, and the rest need to improve themselves,” one user wrote.
Another user chimed, “H-1B employees should be laid off first at an absolute minimum. That said, I’m in favor of ending basically all visa work programs. If you want someone from another country, hire them in that country. However, even that should have an associated cost.”
A different user wrote, “But H1b were also laid off too, all those 15k are not all “Americans”. It’s a combination of Americans, Green card holders, H1b and OPT. A lot of folks on visas have returned back to their home countries. Why not look into the practices of these companies who can just fire during record profits? There should be rules against companies who laid off h1bs wanting to hire h1b. Simple.”
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Another user penned, “I think there should be a limit on H1B slots. There are way too many people coming in for that. We need to recruit people here. We need America first!”
One of the other X users wrote, “I am not sure about eliminating the program. However, it is definitely a mistake to give working visas to those who contribute NOTHING to the economy.”
