Time to pause H-1B visas? US Republicans renew debate under Trump crackdown

US Senator Mike Lee has questioned H-1B visas, as Republicans push for tighter rules. Indian tech workers remain the biggest users of the programme

Is it time to pause H-1B visas? US Republican Senator Mike Lee has floated the possibility of halting the programme, which is heavily used by highly skilled Indian technology workers.

 

“Is it time to pause H1B visas?” Lee asked on the social media platform X, responding to a post that claimed a Walmart executive had accepted kickbacks in exchange for hiring Indian H-1B tech workers over Americans.

 

Lee’s remark adds to the growing debate inside the Republican Party. First introduced in 1990, the H-1B visa allows US firms to hire foreign workers in speciality occupations. The visa is issued for three years and can be extended to a maximum of six.

 

 

How the programme works

 

• The US caps H-1B visas at 65,000 each year

• An extra 20,000 slots are available for those with a US master’s or PhD

• Indian technology professionals are among the biggest beneficiaries

 

In the last decade, Indians have consistently received 60–70 per cent of all H-1B visas issued each year. For instance, in the financial year 2023, Indian-born applicants received 72.3 per cent of all approved H-1B petitions — this represents roughly 279,400 out of about 386,300 approvals. In 2024, that share was around 71 per cent, equating to approximately 283,400 out of 399,400 approvals.

 

Rising criticism

 

Republican figures have questioned whether the programme disadvantages American workers.

 

“You see big tech firms laying off 9,000 employees and then applying for thousands of overseas work visas — it just doesn’t add up,” said Vice President JD Vance on a podcast in July. “That kind of displacement and math concerns me. The President has said we want the best and brightest to make America their home, and that’s good. But I don’t support companies firing thousands of American workers and then claiming they can’t find talent here.”

 

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon went further, calling for the programme to be scrapped altogether. “We need to cut all the visa programs. If we are going to do it, let’s do it hard-core and clean it up,” said Bannon on his podcast earlier this month.

 

Signals from the administration

 

Joseph Edlow, the new director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said the programme must be rebalanced.

 

“I really do think that the way H1B needs to be used, and this is one of my favourite phrases, is to, along with a lot of other parts of immigration, supplement, not supplant, the US economy and US businesses and US workers,” Edlow said in July.

 

Reports suggest the administration could replace the current lottery with a wage-based model, granting visas to higher-paid applicants first.

 

Trump’s mixed record

 

While conservative commentators such as Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer have opposed the scheme, Donald Trump has spoken in its favour.

 

“It’s a great program. I have many H1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H1B,” Trump said in an interview.

 

The Department of Homeland Security has already moved forward with a proposal to replace the lottery with a “weighted selection process”, prioritising higher wage earners. The change would apply to all 85,000 visas available annually — 65,000 general slots and 20,000 for advanced degree holders. The rule has cleared the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and will soon open for public consultation.