Don't allow H-1B holder to replace an American: Top US immigration official

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) director L Francis Cissna has said at an event that he would be really glad if the US Congress passes a provision prohibiting American workers being replaced by H-1B visa holders, The Times of India (ToI) reported.

Cissna made these remarks at an event called 'Immigration Newsmaker' in Washington, DC, on August 15 by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), ToI report said. CIS is a think tank with a purported anti-immigration stance.

The ToI report provides data from USCIS which suggests that a total of 365,000 applicants were granted H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2017.

Cissna further said that immigration reforms should make sure that most qualified people, who the US needs, should get the visas, according to the ToI report.

He said that banning the ability of companies to replace American workers with H-1B workers could be a solution.

Trump administration has tightened the norms for granting H-1B visas since coming into power which has increased the rate of rejections.