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Time of India
20-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
H-1B visa faces fresh flak after new picks hit multi-year low amid continuing tech layoffs
Concerns are mounting over the H-1B visa program as USCIS selected the lowest number of applications since 2021 amid tech layoffs. Critics like Ron Hira argue the lottery system favors cheaper foreign labor over qualified US graduates, potentially enabling future layoffs. Accusations of fraud and misuse by outsourcing firms further fuel the debate, drawing attention from political figures and organizations. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The H-1B visa program is facing renewed criticism after the US Citizenship and Immigration Services ( USCIS ) announced it had selected 1,20,141 H-1B visa applications for the fiscal year 2026. This is the lowest number selected since 2021, yet concerns are rising as layoffs continue across the tech sector, according to a report by The Times of University professor Ron Hira, a long-time critic of the H-1B program, said the system is not based on merit or labor shortages. 'H-1B workers get selected by a random lottery and not the best and brightest,' Hira said to TOI. He added that the program allows companies to bypass hiring US graduates in favor of cheaper foreign labor Hira, whose Indian-born parents migrated to the US on similar visas, testified in the US Senate in 2016, stating that speaking against the program had personal significance. He argued that the system is often misused, especially by outsourcing firms that prioritize cost-saving over job creation in the H-1B program has an annual cap of 65,000 regular visas, with an additional 20,000 allocated for individuals with advanced degrees from US institutions. When the number of applications exceeds the cap, the USCIS uses a lottery to select 2026 selection figures have raised concerns among US tech workers and political leaders. Republican leader Virgil Bierschwale questioned whether companies are using the system to plan future layoffs. 'This 2026 visa approval gets me. Over a year ahead of the current date, they already have approved visas. And they must have a job to have a visa. Which means the employer has already picked out the employee they plan on firing since they are not creating new jobs. How is this not fraud at every level?' Bierschwale told organization 'US Tech Workers' added that some of the approved jobs may not even exist. 'A huge chunk of H-1B petitions are for jobs that don't even exist. Indian IT body shops are notorious for hoarding H-1B workers, hoping to lease them out later. If there's no client, they get 'benched'—which is illegal. But exploiting desperate migrants is a business model too profitable to quit,' the group stated on debate has also drawn attention from public figures. While entrepreneur Elon Musk and political commentator Vivek Ramaswamy have supported the program, Donald Trump, known for his tough stance on immigration, said he supports H-1B but remains firm on curbing illegal immigration.(With inputs from TOI)
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Indian-origin Howard University professor says H-1B visas have no connection to US worker shortage
Howard University professor Ron Hira said H-1B visa programs that allow US companies to hire skilled labour from outside the country have no connection to merit or shortage of US workers for those specific jobs. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Ron Hira, whose parents were Indians and came to the US on similar visas has long been a critic of the H-1b visa programs as he argued that companies misuse these programs to outsource cheaper employees instead of giving work to US graduates. In 2016, he gave a testimony in the Senate on immigration and detailed that both his parents were from India and his wife is an India-born. And hence to testify against this visa program was very meaningful to him personally. Amid the ongoing H-1B row, triggered by the release of the latest H-1B figures of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Roh Hira said that H-1B workers get selected by a random lottery and not the best and brightest. The USCIS revealed that the administration selected 120,141 H-1B visa applications for 2026, which is the lowest since 2021, but US tech workers claim that the number is huge given the massive layoffs that are happening in companies. USCIS makes selections by lottery every year when the agency receives more H-1B electronic registrations than permitted. The annual H-1B limit is 65,000 plus a 20,000 exemption for individuals with an advanced degree from a US university. The H-1B figures for 2026 have puzzled MAGA, as they expected a crackdown on H-1B from the Donald Trump administration. During the major H-1B row that involved Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy supporting the program, President Donald Trump said he was in favor of H-1B, though he has taken a stern stance on illegal immigration. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Republican leader Virgil Bierschwale questioned whether the 2026 H-1B figures reveal that the employers have already chosen the employees they will fire as no new jobs are being created. "This 2026 visa approval gets me. Over a year ahead of the current date, they already have approved visas. And they must have a job to have a visa. Which means the employer has already picked out the employee they plan on firing since they are not creating new jobs. How is this not fraud at every level?" Bierschwale wrote. "A huge chunk of H-1B petitions are for jobs that don't even exist. Indian IT body shops are notorious for hoarding H-1B workers, hoping to lease them out later. If there's no client, they get 'benched'—which is illegal. But exploiting desperate migrants is a business model too profitable to quit," X handle US Tech Workers wrote.
