U.S. senators Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin have sent out letters to tech giants Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), escalating their scrutiny of H-1B visas amid domestic layoffs, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Other firms receiving letters include Alphabet’s Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), Deloitte, Walmart (NYSE:WMT), Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH), and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The companies have been asked to respond by October 10.
The lawmakers have reportedly asked for detailed information on the number of H-1B employees, their compensation, and any potential displacement of American workers, expressing concerns about the continued hiring of foreign workers amid layoffs.
This is the latest escalation from Washington, D.C. against the popular H-1B program, after President Donald Trump’s introduction of a $100,000 charge for H-1B visas.
Data from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shows around 500,000 H-1B visa holders in the country, with India accounting for just over 70% in the 2024 fiscal year and China making up 12%.