Chip Roy, Republican congressman of Texas, has introduced a bill in the US congress that could change the H-1B visa system in a big way. The H-1B visa allows American companies to hire skilled foreign workers, and many Indians use it to work in the US.
The new bill, called the ‘American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act of 2026’, will end the current H-1B lottery. Instead, visas would be given based on higher wages. Companies will also have to show they tried to hire American workers first by posting jobs in the US and offering them to qualified American applicants before hiring someone from abroad.
Roy reportedly stated that the H-1B programme has been misused for years. He is reported to have claimed that employers used it to hire cheaper foreign workers instead of Americans, while saying there is a shortage of skills. He wants the system to focus on merit and pay fair wages.
The bill will also stop H-1B visas from being used as a path to a green card. It would end the optional practical training programme, which lets foreign students work in the US after graduation. The bill also proposes cutting the maximum H-1B stay from six years to two years.
Companies that have recently laid off workers would not be allowed to hire H-1B employees under the plan.
Indians make up about 70 per cent of H-1B visa holders, so the changes could affect many Indian tech workers and students in the US. The bill is supported by groups that want stricter rules on hiring foreign workers.