US lawmaker introduces bill to end H1B visa programme
A US lawmaker has introduced a bill to end the H-1B visa programme, saying corporations have repeatedly abused this system and imported cheaper foreign labour into America. US Representative Greg Steube, a Republican from Florida, introduced the ‘Ending Exploitative Imported Labour Exemptions Act or EXILE Act’, a bill that would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act by ending the H-1B visa programme.
“Prioritising foreign labour over the well-being and prosperity of American citizens undermines our values and national interests,” Steube said in a statement. “Our workers and young people continue to be displaced and disenfranchised by the H-1B visa programme that awards corporations and foreign competitors at the expense of our workforce. We cannot preserve the American dream for our children while forfeiting their share to non-citizens.
That is why I am introducing the EXILE Act to put working Americans first again,” he said. H-1B visas are used by a large number of Indian professionals to live and work in the US. The Trump administration has intensified its crackdown on immigration, both legal and illegal, imposing new and stringent restrictions on visas such as H-1B.
Describing abuse of the H-1B programme as a national security threat, Trump last year signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, a move that caused widespread panic, confusion and concern among Indian professionals. The statement said that more than 80 per cent of recipients of H-1B visas are Indian or Chinese nationals, with priority given to younger workers.
Listing examples of how H-1Bs have “disadvantaged” American workers, it said the visa program has prevented more than 10,000 US physicians from accessing residency programmes by facilitating the arrival of more than 5,000 foreign-born doctors. It further said that more than 16,000 Microsoft employees were displaced following the approval of more than 9,000 H-1B visas in 2025.
