(GEORGIA) A new push from Republican lawmakers to end the H-1B visas program has sharpened divisions inside the party, as Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene moves forward with an eliminate bill that would shut down one of the main legal channels for skilled foreign workers in the United States 🇺🇸. Announced on November 14, 2025, Greene’s plan would not just cut numbers. It would, in her words, “completely eliminate” H-1B visas and force current and future holders to leave when their status expires.
Greene’s rationale and public statements
Greene, a high-profile ally of President Trump, framed her move as a direct answer to what she calls long-term harm to American workers.
“My dear fellow Americans, I’m introducing a bill to completely eliminate the H-1B visa programme, which has been riddled with fraud and abuse and has been displacing American workers for decades,” she said in a statement.
She added that the proposal is “America first,” declaring: “it’s time to put American citizens first instead of foreigners first, and this has been an abuse for far too long. Americans deserve a future. They deserve a chance.”
Greene’s bill is presented as both a policy response to alleged program abuses and a political signal to voters who want stricter immigration limits.
What Greene’s bill would do
Under the proposal described by Greene, the H-1B system would end across “all other sectors in the job force and in the workforce,” with only one temporary exception.
Key provisions include:
– A limited annual cap of 10,000 visas for medical professionals — intended as a short-term bridge for hospitals and clinics.
– That medical carve-out would be phased out over 10 years, with the stated goal of building a domestic pipeline of American doctors and physicians.
– Elimination of the pathway to permanent residency and citizenship for H-1B holders — the bill would force visa holders to return home when their visa expires, making the program strictly temporary with no route to remain in the U.S.
Context: prior Trump administration changes
The push to eliminate H-1B visas follows tougher rules already rolled out by the Trump administration.
- In September 2025, the administration imposed a one-time $100,000 processing fee on new H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025.
- Employers must pay this fee in addition to existing filing costs and legal expenses, making sponsorship significantly more expensive.
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, this fee change has already caused many small and mid-size firms to rethink hiring plans based on foreign talent.
A White House proclamation supporting the fee increase cited long-term “abuse” of the program and pointed to cases where large firms allegedly laid off American staff while obtaining H-1B approvals:
– One software firm reportedly secured approvals for more than 5,000 H-1B workers in fiscal 2025 while announcing layoffs of over 15,000 employees.
– Another IT company was described as receiving nearly 1,700 H-1B approvals while cutting about 2,400 American jobs in Oregon.
These examples are frequently used by lawmakers like Greene to argue the system is “rigged” against U.S. workers.
Political split within the Republican Party
Greene’s eliminate bill exposes a widening split inside Republican ranks.
- President Trump, who previously campaigned on limits to employment visas, has recently sounded more open to retaining H-1B visas for certain sectors.
- In a Fox News interview with Laura Ingraham, he defended the need for some foreign workers in sensitive industries: “No, you don’t [have the talent domestically]. There are certain skills you don’t have, and people have to learn them… You can’t take people off the unemployment line and say, ‘I’m going to put you into a factory where we’re going to make missiles.’”
That comment prompted criticism from parts of his base, who viewed it as a retreat from earlier hardline promises. On social media and conservative talk shows, some accused him of listening too closely to big business. Greene’s bill is seen by many analysts as both a substantive policy proposal and a political message that some in Congress will push further than the White House on legal migration cuts.
Reactions from business, universities, and supporters
Business groups and universities that rely on H-1B workers are watching closely, though many have not publicly commented pending the bill’s text and prospects.
Arguments from these stakeholders:
– H-1B visas provide a steady but limited channel to recruit skilled engineers, scientists, and medical professionals.
– Companies in microchips, software, and medical devices say they cannot always find enough qualified domestic workers and point to official data showing demand regularly exceeds the annual H-1B cap.
The government’s description of H-1B visas states they are for “specialty occupations” requiring at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience. The program is overseen by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; see the official H-1B page for detailed rules and updates.
Supporters argue the program:
– Fills skill gaps
– Supports innovation
– Keeps high-value jobs in the U.S. rather than sending them abroad
Criticisms and concerns from Greene and other opponents
Greene and fellow critics contend that:
– The program is susceptible to fraud and abuse.
– Employers may treat foreign workers as cheaper and more dependent, especially when immigration status ties a worker to a single employer.
– Middle-aged American workers, particularly in IT, face tougher job prospects because firms may prefer younger H-1B hires at lower starting salaries.
Impact on current H-1B workers
For H-1B workers already living in the U.S., the political debate adds further uncertainty to lives governed by strict visa rules and deadlines.
Potential consequences of an outright end to the program and elimination of a path to permanent residence:
– Families who have built careers, communities, and raised school-age children in the U.S. would face stark choices.
– Options for impacted workers would be limited to:
1. Returning to their country of origin
2. Attempting to switch to a different visa category
3. Hoping for future legislative change
The human and economic stakes are high: many H-1B holders have lived and paid taxes in the U.S. for years, and an abrupt cutoff would create both personal disruption and workforce challenges for employers.
Where this leaves the H-1B debate
As Greene promotes her eliminate bill and President Trump signals a softer line on certain skilled workers, the future of H-1B visas sits at the center of a broader debate about the composition of the U.S. labor force in coming decades.
Key questions being debated:
– Should the U.S. rely on temporary foreign professionals who may later become permanent residents?
– Can domestic training and hiring meet demand in high-skill sectors, or are H-1B workers necessary to fill immediate gaps?
– How should policymakers balance concerns about program abuse with the needs of businesses, universities, and public health systems?
The coming months will likely determine whether Greene’s aggressive proposal gains traction, how the White House and other Republicans respond, and what short- and long-term effects any changes would have on workers, employers, and the broader economy.
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This Article in a Nutshell
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a bill on November 14, 2025, seeking to end the H-1B visa program while allowing a temporary 10,000 annual medical visa cap phased out over ten years. The bill would remove pathways to permanent residency, requiring visa holders to return home at expiry. The proposal exposes splits within the Republican Party, with President Trump more open to retaining visas for critical sectors. Businesses, universities, and current H-1B workers warn of major workforce and family disruptions if enacted.
