Following Donald Trump’s announcement to increase H-1B fees, the White House has clarified the reasons behind its concerns regarding the visa program. The White House stated that several American companies have laid off American tech employees and replaced them with foreign workers. Trump has repeatedly emphasized that Americans should have priority regarding American resources and jobs. A White House statement revealed that one company was granted 5,189 H-1B approvals while it laid off 16,000 American employees. Another company received 1,698 approvals but cut 2,400 jobs in Oregon.
The White House statement further disclosed that a third company received 25,075 H-1B visa permissions and reduced its American workforce by 27,000 since 2022. Additionally, another company, despite obtaining 1,137 H-1B visa permissions for fiscal year 2025, cut 1,000 American jobs in February. American IT employees were allegedly forced to train foreign workers in an illegal manner.
Trump has been promoting the ‘America First’ policy since the election campaign. The rise in H-1B visa fees is believed to increase the cost for American companies to bring in professionals from abroad, prompting them to give opportunities to American workers, thereby prioritizing American job offers.