Limited Access Granted for Select Non-Immigrant Workers
In recent years, there has been a significant shift in the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program, with IT workers making up an increasing proportion of its beneficiaries. According to data, the share of IT workers in the H-1B program grew from 32 percent in Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 to an average of over 65 percent in the last 5 fiscal years.
This trend has raised concerns about the potential replacement of American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor, which could undermine economic and national security. IT firms have been accused of prominently manipulating the H-1B system, causing harm to American workers in computer-related fields.
One notable example is a third company that reduced its workforce by approximately 27,000 American workers since 2022, while being approved for over 25,000 H-1B workers since FY 2022. Another IT firm, which announced it was laying off 2,400 American workers in Oregon in July, was approved for nearly 1,700 H-1B workers in FY 2025.
The company that filed more than 5,000 H-1B work visa applications in 2025 and announced layoffs of more than 15,000 employees around the same time is Microsoft. Microsoft and Meta each had more than 5,000 H-1B visas approved in the first half of 2025, while Amazon had more than 12,000.
These layoffs have not been without controversy. American IT workers have reported being forced to train their foreign replacements and to sign nondisclosure agreements about this indignity as a condition of receiving any form of severance.
The growth of foreign STEM workers in the United States has also been a point of discussion. The number of foreign STEM workers more than doubled between 2000 and 2019, while overall STEM employment only increased by 44.5 percent during that time. Among computer and math occupations, the foreign share of the workforce grew from 17.7 percent in 2000 to 26.1 percent in 2019.
These statistics highlight the ongoing debate about the H-1B visa program and its impact on American workers. As the program continues to evolve, it is crucial to ensure that it supports both the economy and the workforce, without compromising the rights and opportunities of American workers.
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