U.S. Lawmakers Target Corporate H-1B Hiring Amid New Fees and Layoffs
According to the September 25, 2025, edition of the Wall Street Journal, U.S. lawmakers are intensifying oversight of major companies’ heavy use of H-1B visas amid widespread layoffs, as a new federal fee and compliance concerns create fresh pressure on employers and foreign workers alike. To address these concerns, Congress has begun a formal investigation into how leading corporations are using the H-1B program. These investigations will include:
- Senate Inquiry into H-1B Use
- Senate Judiciary leaders asked major H-1B visa sponsors—including Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, JPMorgan, Walmart, Deloitte, Cognizant, and Tata Consultancy Services—to explain continued hiring of foreign workers while conducting layoffs.
- Companies must disclose numbers of H-1B workers, wages, and any displacement of U.S. employees, with responses due by October 10.
- New Federal Policy and Business Reaction
- A recent announcement from President Trump imposes a new $100,000 fee on companies sponsoring H-1B workers, prompting immediate concern about possible retroactive costs.
- Firms rushed to assess compliance and advised foreign employees to stay in or quickly return to the U.S. to avoid re-entry or cost issues.
- Scale of the H-1B Program
- Established in 1990, the H-1B system is the main path for foreign professionals to work in the U.S., with about 700,000 visa holders, largely from India and China.
- Technology companies are the largest sponsors; Amazon alone secured over 14,000 new H-1B hires for fiscal 2025.
- Wage Requirements and Comparisons
- Employers must pay H-1B workers either the prevailing wage or the same rate as comparable U.S. employees.
- In 2024, H-1B workers earned a median salary of roughly $120,000, nearly double the U.S. median wage of about $62,000.
Source: www.wsj.com/politics/policy/h1b-visa-grassley-durbin-letter-tech-firms-8fe931e9
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