Trump's New H-1B Visa Rules: "Hire Americans First"

Trump's New H-1B Visa Rules: "Hire Americans First"

The Trump administration has introduced tough new rules to make sure American companies hire U.S. workers before bringing in skilled foreign workers on H-1B visas. The plan, called Project Firewall, was announced by the Department of Labor. Its aim is to stop companies from replacing American employees with cheaper foreign workers.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said the goal is to protect American workers' wages and jobs. The government will work with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Justice Department to punish companies that abuse the H-1B programme.

H-1B visas let companies hire foreign professionals for specialised jobs like software development or engineering. Critics say some large tech companies use the programme to cut costs by hiring foreign workers at lower salaries. Trump has also raised the H-1B visa application fee to $100,000. Business groups strongly oppose this increase, but labour unions support it. Trump said too many American workers have been pushed out because some companies "cheat the system."

The new plan has caused arguments even amongst Trump's own supporters. Some hardline MAGA members, like Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, want the H-1B programme completely eliminated. But tech leaders like Elon Musk say ending the programme would damage American innovation because the U.S. benefits from attracting top talent from around the world.

During a recent Fox interview, Trump admitted the U.S. still doesn't have enough experts in certain advanced fields—like semiconductor manufacturing—which upset some supporters who believe all jobs should go to Americans.

The White House says Trump's position is balanced: foreign experts may be needed for major projects, but they must also help train American workers and should never replace them.

Immigration experts warn that Project Firewall could slow down hiring and increase costs for companies, especially start-ups. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is already taking legal action over the high new fees, saying it will push investment overseas. Last year, nearly 400,000 H-1B visas were approved, with many workers earning salaries higher than those in similar American tech jobs.

As the government starts audits and penalties under this new plan, the big question is whether Trump's approach will actually help American workers—or just create more political arguments within his own support base as elections draw near.