U.S. lawmakers seek answers from Apple, other major U.S. firms about H-1B visa use amid layoffs

U.S. lawmakers have asked major U.S. companies including Apple, Amazon, and JPMorgan on Thursday to explain why they are hiring thousands of foreign workers on H-1B visas while cutting other jobs.
Reuters:
‎

The letter comes after the Trump administration announced last week that it would ask companies to pay $100,000 per year for H-1B visas, which allow businesses to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. The U.S. has also released a proposal that would rework the H-1B visa selection process to favor higher-skilled and better-paid workers.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley and Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat, asked 10 major employers for detailed information on the number of H-1B workers they employ, the wages they are paid, and whether American workers have been displaced in the process.
“With all of the homegrown American talent relegated to the sidelines, we find it hard to believe that Amazon cannot find qualified American tech workers to fill these positions,” the senators wrote to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.
India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71% of approved beneficiaries, while China was a distant second at 11.7%, according to government data.

‎
MacDailyNews Take: India will come to the table on trade and this will be the bargaining chip that swings the deal.

‎
Please help support MacDailyNews — and enjoy subscriber-only articles, comments, chat, and more — by subscribing to our Substack: macdailynews.substack.com. Thank you!
Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.
The post U.S. lawmakers seek answers from Apple, other major U.S. firms about H-1B visa use amid layoffs appeared first on MacDailyNews.