A new immigration bill in the United States has proposed stricter entry rules under the country’s H-1B visa programme.
The new bill under the name American Tech Workforce Act of 2021 introduced in the US House of Representatives has proposed to eliminate Optional Practical Training (OPT) which allows foreign with student visas to work in the US for upto 3 years if they have STEM qualifications. The H-1B program largely benefits big tech companies by allowing tax relaxations and hiring foreign workers at cheaper wages. Supporters of H-1B claim that the visa regime reject the claim and view it as important in addressing the gap in US labour market.
The proposed legislation was introduced by Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks as part of the Republican Study Committee to bring accountability of big tech companies. The bill builds on the legacy of the Trump era push to change the law to make it tougher for American companies to hire foreign workers.
“Big Tech is setting aside some of the most lucrative and valuable career opportunities in America and giving them exclusively to foreign guest workers. They’re cutting out Americans to save a few bucks. It’s domestic outsourcing,” Banks said in a statement.
The bill will first be approved by House and then move on to Senate for clearance.
“This shocking disregard for American workers and their role in our nation’s future is unpatriotic. We must fix Big Tech’s incentives, so they begin putting Americans first,” Banks added.
The bill aims to set the minimum compensation for H-1B visa recipients equal the higher end of the annual wage paid to an American worker for the position, or $110,000, whichever is higher.
The bill also seeks to decrease the period of H-1B visas sponsored by third-party companies to one year from 3 years currently. The American Tech Workforce Act is supported by American Principles Project (APP), Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), and NumbersUSA.
