US Senator Mike Lee caused a new debate on H-1B visions after published on social media: “Is it time to suspend H-1B visas?” This remark came in response to unverified reports claiming that Walmart had paid big bribes to hire Indian technical staff while standing US employees.
Echoes from Greene’s anti-immigration push
Lee’s comments are followed by recent remarks of the far-right Republican congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who urged the Indians to stop H-1B visas and claimed to “replace American jobs”. Her statement was made in response to President Donald Trump’s threat to increase tariffs to Indian goods and services when buying Russian oil in Nový Delhi.
Unverified claim against Walmart
Speculation about hiring Walmart has been spreading on platforms as Blind and Reddit. The contributions concerned “massive fraud” concerning H-1B staff in the global technical division of the company, suggesting that a higher executive was released. The claims were later reinforced to the x separately described “H-1B announcer”.
Walmart denies a link to H-1B visa
Walmart rejected Hindustan Times, and said that the recent internal probe led to the end of one seller and a handful of American collaborators, but stressed that it has “nothing to do with H-1B visas”. The company previously announced plans to release about 1,500 workers in restructuring, which is a step that attracted the resistance of social media over the suspicion that jobs are outsourced to foreign workers.
Undertones
Renewed focus on H-1B visas comes in the middle of speculation that the system-which allows thousands of Indian engineers to work in the USA-BY could become a new goal to manage Trump. Given that immigration and job problems remain with hot buttons before 2026 elections, the legislators have added fuel to the politically charged debates.
What is H-1B visa?
The H-1B visa is a visa that is not immigrant, in the United States that allows US companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in special professions. These are jobs that usually require technical expertise, bachelor’s or higher or equivalent in fields such as it is, engineering, science, medicine and finance.
Eligibility: Work must require specialized knowledge.
The applicant must have at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in the area.
Duration: initially valid for 3 years, extendable up to 6 years.
Employer sponsorship: The visa is tied to the employer, which means that the worker cannot switch jobs without a new H-1B petition.
CAP and Lottery: There is an annual limit of 85,000 visas, of which 20,000 are reserved for the master’s degree holders.
Because applications often exceed the ceiling, USCIS runs a lottery for the selection of applicants.
Family: H-1B holders can bring wives and children under H-4 visas, although H-4 visa holders in general cannot work (if they are entitled to work permission under certain conditions).
Purpose: It is designed to fill specialized gaps in skills on the US labor market where qualified Americans are not available.
(Tagstotranslate) American Senator Mike Lee
