Federal agencies are proposing significant changes to visa programs, aiming to protect American workers and address growing public concern over the displacement of local professionals by foreign labor.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor have unveiled draft regulations that would tighten visa programs, including H-1B and F-1 student visas, to prioritize American workers. Proposed changes include higher corporate fees, shorter grace periods for fired foreign workers, and stricter oversight of third-party staffing firms. 📺 DETAIL: The proposed rules also seek to modernize the PERM labor certification process, ensuring American workers are given priority in hiring and addressing layoffs more effectively. Critics of the visa programs argue that they depress wages, displace American workers, and foster job monopolies within certain ethnic networks. Public opposition to these programs has grown in recent years, with unemployment and underemployment rates for U.S. college graduates remaining high, including 26 percent for computer science graduates. 🎯 IMPACT: If implemented, the reforms could significantly reduce reliance on foreign labor, encourage companies to invest in American talent, and potentially sway voters ahead of the midterm elections. However, big business, including lobbying groups like FWD.us, is expected to push back against these measures, given the rewards it reaps from undercutting American workers by importing foreign workers. 📈 DATA: According to the New York Federal Reserve Bank, the combined unemployment and underemployment rate for recent U.S. college graduates is approximately 40 percent, highlighting the need for increased job opportunities for American graduates and professionals. 📺 FLASHBACK: The 60-day grace period for fired foreign workers was introduced in 2017 under the Obama-Biden administration, enabling many visa holders to remain in the U.S. and switch jobs, often to the detriment of American workers. |
H-1B is a temporary nonimmigrant visa. If the entire justification for the program is that a foreign worker is admitted only because an American supposedly cannot be found to fill the job, why should that worker get 60 days to remain in the country after being laid off?
The… pic.twitter.com/jybICFswhF
— U.S. Tech Workers (@USTechWorkers) August 8, 2026
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