What's Wrong With H1B Visas These Days? Veteran Explains

The volume of the population that is aiming for the H1B visa from the United States has been on a constant rise. Now, here’s what a veteran of the craft has to say on this matter.

A former U.S. visa officer recently stated that there is “something badly wrong” with the H1B visa system, arguing that the programme has drifted far from its original purpose. He explained that during his time interviewing applicants, many candidates did not appear to be highly specialised professionals.

Instead, they seemed like average graduates who were being brought to the United States to fill roles that did not necessarily require advanced or rare skills. He believes this weakens the fairness of the system and raises questions about why companies prefer international workers when equally capable American workers are available.

He also highlighted how some companies use the H1B route to hire workers at lower wages, which reduces opportunities for local talent. Over the years, investigations and audits have revealed several issues in the H1B space, including underpayment, fake job descriptions, misuse of job classifications, and failure to follow proper visa rules.

In some cases, workers have even reported unfair treatment and pressure from employers who take advantage of their visa dependency.

Overall, the criticism points to a system that is not functioning as intended. Instead of focusing on highly skilled talent, the programme is often used to meet low cost labour needs, creating long term concerns for both American workers and genuine skilled migrants.