Overview
- Representative Chip Roy formally introduced the American White‑Collar Worker Jobs Act in Congress on Thursday as draft legislation to overhaul the H‑1B visa system.
- The proposal would end the random H‑1B lottery and allocate visas by wage and merit, raise required pay to either the actual comparable wage or the Department of Labor 75th‑percentile wage, and shorten maximum H‑1B stays from six years to two years.
- The bill would abolish Optional Practical Training (OPT), require applicants to maintain a residence abroad to remove ‘dual intent,’ cap non‑immigrant workers at 5% of a company’s U.S. workforce, and force employers to show they tested the U.S. labor market before hiring foreign workers.
- Advocacy groups such as US Tech Workers, the Immigration Accountability Project and FAIR have backed the measure and right‑leaning outlets highlighted its worker‑protection framing, while Indian and international outlets stressed the bill’s heavy impact on Indian professionals and international students.
- Despite its scope and alignment with recent Trump administration changes to H‑1B practice, the draft faces steep partisan hurdles in Congress and limited near‑term prospects for enactment as Roy is leaving office.