'Scrap H-1B visa': How proposed EXILE Bill seeks to end the visa program

A Republican lawmaker has renewed his attack on high-skilled immigration, arguing the H-1B visa harms American workers

A Republican lawmaker on Tuesday renewed his attack on America’s high-skilled immigration system, introducing legislation that seeks to shut down the H-1B visa programme altogether, arguing it has worked against US workers while favouring foreign labour.

 

US Representative Greg Steube announced the Ending Exploitative Imported Labor Exemptions Act, or the EXILE Act. The Bill proposes changes to the Immigration and Nationality Act that would discontinue the H-1B programme, which allows US companies to hire foreign professionals for specialised roles.

 

“Prioritising foreign labour over the well-being and prosperity of American citizens undermines our values and national interests,” Steube said, presenting the legislation as a way to reset the domestic labour market.

   

What the EXILE Act proposes

 

According to Steube’s office, the EXILE Act would amend Section 214(g)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to end the H-1B programme entirely. The legislative text states that the number of H-1B visas would be set at zero beginning in financial year 2027 and for every year after that.

 

The proposal also points to demographic patterns within the programme, noting that more than 80 per cent of H-1B recipients are Indian or Chinese nationals, with employers often preferring younger workers.

 

Steube accused the programme of pushing American workers and young jobseekers out of the labour market. “Our workers and young people continue to be displaced and disenfranchised,” he said, adding that the American dream could not be preserved “while forfeiting their share to non-citizens”.

 

Claims of job displacement

 

The release accompanying the Bill lists examples it says show how the H-1B system has affected US workers across sectors.

 

• In healthcare, it claimed that the entry of more than 5,000 foreign-born doctors under the H-1B programme blocked over 10,000 US physicians from securing residency placements.

 

• In technology, the release alleged that Microsoft displaced more than 16,000 employees after receiving approvals for over 9,000 H-1B visas in 2025.

 

• In logistics, it linked FedEx’s use of the programme to the closure of more than 100 facilities across the country.

 

• In entertainment, it said Disney laid off 250 employees in 2015 and replaced them with foreign workers hired through the H-1B route.

 

• In energy, the release cited a 2014 case in which Southern California Edison reportedly fired 540 workers, with their roles later filled by employees from two Indian outsourcing firms operating under the same visa programme.

 

Why H-1B remains contentious

 

The H-1B visa was created to allow US employers to recruit skilled foreign professionals in areas such as technology, engineering, medicine and finance. Over the years, it has become a primary pathway for global talent, particularly from India and China, while remaining a recurring flashpoint in debates over jobs, wages and immigration policy.

 

In India, the programme has also drawn fresh scrutiny. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal recently said the H-1B visa had lost much of its relevance after the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

“Global businesses no longer depend on moving large numbers of Indian engineers to the United States,” he said.

 

“I have not heard any company, absolutely any company, come to me and ask me to talk to the US or try to negotiate for more H-1B visas. The world has changed today,” he said.