"Big week ahead": Trump administration signals major action on foreign worker visas

The US Department of Labor could intensify enforcement against companies using foreign labour visa programmes, Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito indicated in a post on X.

“Big week ahead on the foreign labour visa front,” D'Esposito wrote. “We're taking LFG to a whole new level. American jobs. American workers.”

He did not identify any specific visa programme, company or investigation.


The remarks come as the Trump administration increases scrutiny of employment-based immigration programmes, including the H-1B visa system. The administration has accused companies of using foreign worker visas to replace American employees with lower-cost labour.

US Vice President JD Vance on October 2 called the H-1B visa programme “completely broken” and said he would support abolishing it.

In a video posted on X, Vance said the programme had been “totally taken advantage of” by technology companies, accounting firms and other businesses.

He distinguished between hiring highly skilled foreign workers and using the programme to reduce labour costs.

“If you're going to bring in an accountant making $45,000 a year to replace an accountant who is an American making $60,000 a year, that's not you using the programme to bring in a genius,” Vance said.

“That's you destroying American jobs and defrauding the American people,” he added.

Vance also defended the administration’s $100,000 fee on certain H-1B petitions involving workers outside the US. The fee was introduced in September 2025 and extended in September 2026 until September 21, 2027, with limited exemptions for cases considered important to national interests.

“If you're just trying to replace an American accountant with a cheaper foreign accountant, then you're not going to pay $100,000,” Vance said.

More scrutiny for H-1B sponsors

An executive directive issued on September 18 directed the Departments of State, Labor and Homeland Security to examine whether companies sponsoring H-1B workers had recently laid off, or planned to lay off, American employees in similar roles.

The Labor Department was also instructed to review previously filed labour-condition applications for possible violations.

The administration has introduced a tiered H-1B selection system that gives preference to higher-paid positions. However, Vance said such changes might not address what he considers deeper problems with the programme.

“My view is the H-1B programme is completely broken, and I'd be very supportive of just eliminating it,” he said.

“But while we have it, what we have to do is protect American workers.”

$100,000 H-1B fee faces legal challenge

The $100,000 H-1B fee has also faced legal challenges. A federal magistrate issued an injunction against the fee on October 1, ruling that the administration had not followed mandatory administrative rulemaking procedures.

The decision followed an earlier preliminary injunction against the same policy.

India exempt from US tourist visa bond

Separately, the US State Department has identified 50 countries whose citizens must post bonds of $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 when applying for B1/B2 tourist and business visas.

India is not on the list. Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal are among the affected South Asian countries.

Bangladesh and Nepal have been covered by the requirement since January 21, while Bhutan was added from January 1.

The bond amount is decided by a consular officer during the visa interview. The State Department said the programme operates under Section 221(g)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and was formalised through a final rule issued on August 3, based on US Department of Homeland Security visa-overstay data.