American engineers describe being sidelined by companies exploiting the H-1B visa system, as layoffs soar and frustration grows over what many call a “corporate addiction” to imported labor.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
They were told that mastering code would secure their future. Instead, thousands of U.S. technology professionals now say their careers have been upended by a flood of imported foreign labor, enabled by the H-1B visa program and reinforced by corporate cost-cutting.
A Daily Caller News Foundation investigation found that many American workers, even those with strong résumés and advanced degrees, are being displaced or left unemployed as companies continue to hire cheaper overseas labor while touting the program as a tool to recruit the “best and brightest.”
Jonathan, a cybersecurity professional with five years of experience, said he has applied to more than 200 jobs in the Seattle area since being laid off in November 2024 — and hasn’t received a single offer. “My career is basically dead in the water because of these problems,” he told the outlet.
He and others interviewed by the DCNF described a climate of fear around speaking publicly. Many requested anonymity out of concern for retaliation by employers.
Visa programs under renewed scrutiny
The debate over the H-1B visa has resurfaced inside the White House, dividing advisers as President Donald Trump balances a pro-worker agenda with pressure from influential allies in the tech industry.
When asked about the issue, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president “does not support American workers being replaced” and wants to ensure that “American workers are in those jobs.”
The H-1B program, established by Congress in 1990, was intended to allow U.S. companies to hire foreign professionals in “specialty occupations,” according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Though technically a temporary visa, it offers a pathway to permanent residency, often making foreign hires long-term fixtures in the workforce.
Despite widespread layoffs, the inflow of H-1B workers has continued. The Institute for Sound Public Policy estimates that about 660,000 H-1B holders were in the U.S. by late 2024 — an 80% increase since the post-recession low in 2011. Between 2022 and 2023 alone, roughly 428,000 tech employees lost their jobs, while another 124,000 were laid off in 2024.
The majority of H-1B visas go to the technology sector, which accounts for about 70% of all petitions, according to Nation Connections.
American workers sidelined
Riley, a software engineer who graduated in 2021, said he has grown “disillusioned” after watching hiring practices shift dramatically at an Austin-based company that began outsourcing development work to South America. “They wanted to reduce labor costs without negotiating with the American engineers,” he said.
Jonathan said a California firm he once worked for opened an Indian development center, then stopped hiring domestically. “You’re going to lose advancement opportunities and be labeled not a team player if you don’t welcome the idea of a billion H-1Bs flooding the market,” he said.
John, a Connecticut IT professional, recounted how his company replaced hundreds of U.S. staff with Indian contractors. “They had them train their replacements before they left,” he said. “I saw a whole bunch of lives being destroyed.”
According to Department of Homeland Security data, Indian nationals accounted for 72% of all H-1B approvals between October 2022 and September 2023 — a dominance that, workers say, has transformed the job landscape. “We’re all in the process of being replaced,” John told DCNF.
Rising debt, shrinking opportunity
For younger graduates, the collapse of tech hiring has collided with record levels of student debt. About 44 million Americans owe more than $1.7 trillion, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, with engineering degrees among the most expensive to obtain (GradGuard).
Luke Hawthorne, a Washington State software developer, said his current salary “doesn’t even approach” what is needed to afford a home. His own analysis found that Washington’s software workforce expanded by 16% through H-1B certifications over just nine months, with 83% of those jobs approved below the state’s median wage. “The ‘best and brightest’ argument simply doesn’t square with how the program is being used,” he said.
Joseph Ibrahim, an unemployed information systems graduate from Florida, said he feels deceived by the promise of a secure tech career. “They told us, ‘learn to code and you’ll have a good job,’” he said. “Turns out they outsource the coding jobs too.”
Political fault lines widen
Trump’s approach to the program has seesawed as his administration weighs reforms. In December 2024, he called himself a “believer” in H-1Bs, aligning with business leaders like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who argued that America needs foreign talent.
But in September 2025, the president imposed a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications — a move welcomed by labor advocates but criticized as insufficient. Heritage Foundation analysts warned of loopholes that allow corporations to offset the costs while still sidelining U.S. talent.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has vowed to introduce legislation to phase out the H-1B program entirely, calling it “an abuse of the system at the expense of American workers.”
“A betrayal of our workforce”
Many displaced engineers have joined advocacy groups like U.S. Tech Workers to press for reform and to spotlight what they describe as systematic displacement. “I have friends with talent and experience who have been out of work for years,” Hawthorne said.
For Jonathan, the situation represents more than just lost income — it’s a collapse of faith in an industry he once loved. “If someone had told me that studying computer science might mean training my replacement one day,” he said, “I would have never gone into it.”
Original article
Comments