US lawmakers ask Trump to stop abuse of H-1B visa system
WASHINGTON: A bipartisan group of influential lawmakers has urged US President Donald Trump to stop the abuse of H-1B and L-1 visas by outsourcing firms to replace American workers with cheap foreign labour.
In a letter dated July 27 that was released on Tuesday, the group said a legislation introduced by them close the loopholes and overhaul visa programmes to protect American workers and crack down on outsourcing companies that deprive qualified Americans of high-skill jobs.
“We write because, for far too long, the H-1B visa has been abused by some corporations as a way to displace American workers with cheap foreign labour. We urge you to use your authority as president to the greatest extent possible to stop H-1B abuses, but we believe reform also must happen legislatively because of loopholes in the law,” the lawmakers said in the letter to the President.
“This bipartisan bill will restore the H-1B visa programme to its original intent, protect American workers, and preserve the limited H-1B visas for highskilled foreign workers,” it said.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialised fields. H-1B visa is the most sought after by Indian IT professionals. L-1 visas are available to employees of an international company with offices in both the US and abroad.