What American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act introduced in US Congress proposes? WION Decodes

A draft legislation was introduced in the US Congress on Thursday (June 4) seeking to overhaul the H-1B visa programme, including ending its use as a pathway to permanent residency in the United States. The bill titled “American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act of 2026” has been proposed by Republican lawmaker Chip Roy.

So, what does the bill seeking to bring changes to the H-1B visa programme actually proposes

• H-1B visa, is one of the most utilized pathways for skilled workers to reside and work in the United States. The implementation is going to impact Indian nationals in a big way as close to 70% of H-1B visa holders in the US are of Indian origin.
• The bill also aims to eliminate the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program which allows foreign students to work in the US for a limited period after graduation.
• Chip Roy, who introduced the bill in the US Congress argues that “For its nearly forty-year history, the H-1B visa has been abused, allowing employers to routinely sideline American STEM workers in favour of cheap foreign labour, while masking layoffs and wage suppression as ‘shortages.’”
• The bill's motive is to replace the current lottery system with a merit-and-wage-based approach. It also focuses on mandating employers make genuine efforts to hire American workers first, and prohibits companies that have recently laid off employees from hiring H-1B workers.
• It also proposes to shorten the maximum duration of the visa from six years to two years so that applicants don't intend to stay in US, rather return to their country.
• The bill also aims at eliminating the extension provisions that are currently available while awaiting a Green Card.
• Under the earlier provision, visa holders could pursue permanent residency while working in the United States.

The bill has been introduced in the US Congress at a time when the Trump administration has launched a crackdown on legal migration programmes by tightening restrictions, prioritising higher wages for H-1B applicants, and imposing a fee of USD 1,00,000 on new petitions.

Notably, Roy is retiring from Congress and was one of the frontrunners for the post of Texas attorney general.