Bill to scrap H-1B programme introduced in US Congress

Introduced by Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, the Bill seeks to amend the 'Immigration and Nationality Act' to eliminate the H-1B visa programme, and for other purposes. The Bill has been referred to the committee on Judiciary, and in addition to committees on Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means.

Hyderabad: Another major trouble is in the offing for Indians in the US. A Bill seeking to completely end the H-1B visa programme, which allows US companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers, was formally introduced in the US Congress on Tuesday.

Introduced by Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, the Bill seeks to amend the ‘Immigration and Nationality Act’ to eliminate the H-1B programme, and for other purposes. The Bill has been referred to the committee on Judiciary, and in addition to committees on Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means.

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The timing of the Bill’s introduction is unusual as Greene placed the Bill on the same day she stepped down from Congress. She resigned citing disagreements with the Republican leadership.

Every year, the US government issues 65,000 regular H-1B visas and 20,000 additional visas for workers with advanced degrees obtained from US universities. So far, most of these visas have been secured by Indians

As companies are allegedly exploiting the H-1B visa programme, the US government tightened the norms. The Trump administration recently announced new weighted selection, which prioritizes higher-skilled and higher-paid foreign workers, doing away with the random lottery system.

Earlier, in September last year, President Donald Trump imposed a $100,000 fee on applications for new H-1B visas. In addition, the social media vetting rule was enforced on December 15, 2025.

The H-1B and their H-4 dependents now have to mandatorily make their social media accounts public, disclose their usernames or IDs used on major platforms, including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube even if the accounts were inactive in the past five years.

This is being done for the applicants whose appointments are scheduled on or after December 15 to ensure thorough background check of applicants.

With new rules in place, the US government rescheduled the H-1B visa appointments that were scheduled on or after December 15 until as late as October 2026.

Several Indians on the H-1B visa who returned to the country for visa stamping were stranded due to appointment rescheduling. While several lost their jobs, some applicants sought remote work.