US Lawmakers Probe Major Employers for Prioritising H-1B Visa Holders Over Americans

A bipartisan group of US senators has launched an investigation into major corporations’ use of the H-1B visa programme while conducting large-scale layoffs of American workers.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dick Durbin have sent formal letters to ten leading employers across the technology, finance, consulting, and retail sectors. The letters request detailed information on hiring practices that appear to favour foreign workers despite recent job cuts affecting thousands of US employees. 

The companies include Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Cognizant, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and Walmart, all of which received significant numbers of H-1B approvals in fiscal year 2025. At the core of the inquiry is whether these companies are genuinely unable to find qualified American workers or if they are using the visa system to reduce labour costs. 

In their letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, the senators wrote: “With all of the homegrown American talent relegated to the sidelines, we find it hard to believe that Amazon cannot find qualified American tech workers to fill these positions.”

The investigation comes as recent data from the Federal Reserve shows that unemployment among recent STEM graduates is above the national average. At the same time, companies such as Amazon and Microsoft have each secured approvals for thousands of H-1B hires, despite implementing significant layoffs in recent years.

Several of the firms are also facing ongoing federal scrutiny. In 2024, a jury found Cognizant guilty of discriminating against American workers in favour of South Asian H-1B holders, awarding punitive damages. 

TCS is currently under investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for allegedly replacing older American staff with younger foreign workers. The Senate letters request information on wage levels, recruitment processes, and whether US workers were displaced as a result of H-1B hiring. 

This inquiry coincides with broader legislative efforts to reform the visa system, including proposals to raise the minimum salary threshold to $150,000 and replace the current lottery system with a bidding model. The Trump administration has also introduced a $100,000 surcharge on H-1B applications filed from outside the United States.