Republican attacks on the H-1B visa intensified on Thursday as US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she will introduce a bill to “completely eliminate” the programme, despite President Donald Trump recently signalling support for skilled foreign workers.
Greene claimed the H-1B system has been “riddled with fraud and abuse” and has displaced American workers for decades. Her proposal seeks to end the visa category entirely and remove its pathway to permanent residency and citizenship, requiring all H-1B holders to return to their home countries once their visas expire.
Indian professionals, who account for more than 70% of approved H-1B applications, would be hit especially hard.
Key Provisions of Greene’s Proposal
In a video posted on X, Greene said her bill will include only one exemption: up to 10,000 visas per year for medical professionals such as doctors and nurses. Even this, she said, would be phased out over ten years as the US builds its own medical workforce.
To accelerate this shift, the bill would bar Medicare-funded residency programmes from admitting non-citizen medical students. Greene argued that thousands of American medical graduates go unmatched each year while foreign-born doctors secure residency slots, calling the situation “unfair” and “America last.”
Her proposal also seeks to remove any route from H-1B status to a green card, saying the visa was never meant to allow long-term settlement. “We thank them for their expertise, but they should return to their home country,” she said.
Current H-1B Landscape
The H-1B programme issues 65,000 regular visas annually, with 20,000 additional slots for US advanced degree holders. It is widely used by technology companies to hire foreign specialists.
The Trump administration has previously tightened the programme, including a recent proclamation requiring certain H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025, to include a $100,000 additional fee.
Trump’s Recent Tone
Despite past crackdowns, Trump recently adopted a more pragmatic stance. In an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, he said the US “has to bring in talent” for specialised fields, noting that unemployed Americans cannot be prepared for critical roles in defence and other sensitive sectors without extensive training.
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