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Howard University professor Ron Hira, a long-standing critic of the H-1B visa program, has once again raised concerns about how the system functions, arguing that it lacks any real basis in merit and does not reflect a genuine shortage of American workers for high-skilled jobs. According to Hira, U.S. companies are increasingly misusing the H-1B visa to hire cheaper foreign labor rather than offering those positions to qualified American graduates.
Hira, whose parents immigrated to the United States from India using similar work visas, has consistently advocated for reforms in the visa program. His criticism is deeply personal. In 2016, during a Senate testimony on immigration, Hira disclosed his familial ties to the visa system, stating that both his parents came from India and that his wife was also born in India. And hence to testify against this visa program was very meaningful to him personally.
The H-1B visa program, designed to allow U.S. companies to hire skilled foreign workers in specialized fields such as IT and engineering, has recently come under renewed scrutiny following the release of new data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The agency reported that 120,141 H-1B visa applications had been selected for the fiscal year 2026. Although this number is the lowest since 2021, it has still sparked controversy, especially among American tech workers who argue that it is excessive given the widespread layoffs occurring across the industry.
Hira pointed out that the selection of H-1B applicants is done through a random lottery system, not based on qualifications or skills. “H-1B workers get selected by a random lottery and not the best and brightest,” he said. This method of selection, he argues, undermines the original intent of the program, which was to attract top global talent to fill labor shortages in America.
In a strongly worded post on X (formerly Twitter), US Tech Workers stated, “A huge chunk of H-1B petitions are for jobs that don’t even exist. Indian IT body shops are notorious for hoarding H-1B workers, hoping to lease them out later. If there’s no client, they get ‘benched’—which is illegal. But exploiting desperate migrants is a business model too profitable to quit.”
This comment refers to a practice in which visa holders are recruited by consulting firms and then kept on standby—or “benched”—until a client project is found. This is not only illegal under U.S. labor law but also raises serious ethical concerns about how foreign workers are treated and how companies manipulate the system to their advantage.
The ongoing debate around the H-1B program has highlighted a deeper rift in how Americans view immigration and employment. On one side, business leaders and tech entrepreneurs argue that H-1B visas are essential for maintaining global competitiveness and accessing specialized talent. On the other, critics say the program has deviated far from its original purpose and is now being used to undercut American workers.
What is clear from the recent developments is that the H-1B program continues to be a contentious issue, with no easy consensus on how to balance the needs of American businesses, the rights of American workers, and the aspirations of foreign professionals seeking opportunities in the United States.
Ron Hira remains a central voice in this debate. With his deep personal connection to the immigration system and his academic expertise, he brings a unique perspective to the issue. His continued advocacy for reform reflects a broader concern that the visa system, if left unchecked, could erode the integrity of the U.S. labor market and damage the career prospects of homegrown talent.
As the 2026 visa selections move forward, scrutiny is likely to intensify, especially given the broader political climate and the growing unease about job security in the tech sector. Whether or not reforms are introduced in response to these concerns remains to be seen, but the pressure on lawmakers and federal agencies to reevaluate the H-1B program is only increasing.
One has to just look at the top companies by number of H1Bs awarded. How many body shops does one see? Do these people think H1B is the cheapest way to get bodies into companies? H1B is the least prefered way AFAIK.
Oak Tree Road, a vibrant stretch of restaurants, sari shops, and jewelry stores in Edison and Iselin, is usually buzzing with shoppers. For years, the district has drawn visitors from across the East Coast who seek South Asian food, clothing and jewelry. But now, the crowds are thinning. Business owners say higher prices, fueled by 50% tariffs on imports from India, are keeping customers away.
A_Gupta wrote: ↑28 Sep 2025 20:28
Oak Tree Road, a vibrant stretch of restaurants, sari shops, and jewelry stores in Edison and Iselin, is usually buzzing with shoppers. For years, the district has drawn visitors from across the East Coast who seek South Asian food, clothing and jewelry. But now, the crowds are thinning. Business owners say higher prices, fueled by 50% tariffs on imports from India, are keeping customers away.
The tariffs are only part of the equation. After Trump took office, many expected the business & economic climate to improve, but it didn't and infact worsened from the Biden era. Employment levels are low, energy prices have increased, inflation has increased, high consumer interest rates remain & gold prices have shot up like crazy. For now the equity markets have risen due to an increased M2 supply (I think this admin & the Fed are conspiring on this). The Trump admin is likely to revalue US gold holdings of over 600M Troy ounces from $42/ounce to $4,000/ounce. The Fed will say thank you and print well over $1T to pump up equity markets fueling further inflation. The US is well into stagflation.
A_Gupta wrote: ↑28 Sep 2025 20:28
Oak Tree Road, a vibrant stretch of restaurants, sari shops, and jewelry stores in Edison and Iselin, is usually buzzing with shoppers. For years, the district has drawn visitors from across the East Coast who seek South Asian food, clothing and jewelry. But now, the crowds are thinning. Business owners say higher prices, fueled by 50% tariffs on imports from India, are keeping customers away.
The tariffs are only part of the equation. After Trump took office, many expected the business & economic climate to improve, but it didn't and infact worsened from the Biden era. Employment levels are low, energy prices have increased, inflation has increased, high consumer interest rates remain & gold prices have shot up like crazy. For now the equity markets have risen due to an increased M2 supply (I think this admin & the Fed are conspiring on this). The Trump admin is likely to revalue US gold holdings of over 600M Troy ounces from $42/ounce to $4,000/ounce. The Fed will say thank you and print well over $1T to pump up equity markets fueling further inflation. The US is well into stagflation.
meanwhile play gangsta and appease the maga crowd .. nutlick and the crackpot dumbarro are case in point
Out of 1.5 million jobs created in the US every year, H-1B only accounts for 60,000 — barely 4%. But it is being portrayed as if banning H1B is going to encourage a farmer from Nebraska to move to Silicon Valley, talking Python instead of planters.
Why is the H-1B visa such a big issue for India? It is mostly the brain drain — students from elite but public-funded universities offering subsidised education moving abroad in their prime years to pay taxes and build stuff there. They stay subservient, build no clout to influence policy in India’s interests, stay quiet when Trump and his coterie go after India, and make reconciliatory pro-government noises. We often mistake their showy religious adherence for patriotism towards the mother-country. They are just brown Americans celebrating Diwali.
The second-most important point, remittances, also dry up after one generation, once the parents who invested in them are gone.
But our governments have always pandered to this community, privileging them in all sorts of ways, including giving them access to our head of State. But when the going got tough with Trump at the helm, we were told to toe the line. Why couldn’t they protest, like the Jewish billionaires do for their ancestral homeland?
India is the summation of various communities. Each community is a vector, with a magnitude and direction. When added together, their directions are different — a lot of times opposing — and the resultant vector is never strong. The moment these vectors travel abroad, they are free from standing beneath a single flag and they fall back to their communities — Punjabis in Canada, Telugus in the US, and whatnot. Hence, it is very difficult to create clout or influence for India abroad. The differences are visible, whenever I call NRI friends, they complain about other NRIs “who don’t deserve to be there”.
Mort Walker wrote: ↑28 Sep 2025 22:03
The tariffs are only part of the equation. After Trump took office, many expected the business & economic climate to improve, but it didn't and infact worsened from the Biden era. Employment levels are low, energy prices have increased, inflation has increased, high consumer interest rates remain & gold prices have shot up like crazy. For now the equity markets have risen due to an increased M2 supply (I think this admin & the Fed are conspiring on this). The Trump admin is likely to revalue US gold holdings of over 600M Troy ounces from $42/ounce to $4,000/ounce. The Fed will say thank you and print well over $1T to pump up equity markets fueling further inflation. The US is well into stagflation.
Anecdotally (I don't have data) the Indian-American small businessman is both a Modi bhakt as well as a Trump supporter/admirer.
For the subset for which that is true - what do they blame their current business predicament on? PM Modi for not appeasing Trump, or Trump for being unreasonable?
The Indian-American small businessman is no longer a Trump supporter. A whole host of issues including transport of goods across the Mexican border & import of goods has become difficult, finding labor has become difficult as they hire many LEGAL Hispanics who are scared of ICE, and overall costs have gone up. Now this isn't just true of Indian-Americans who were Trump supporters, but Trump's 2024 coalition of Hispanics & other minorities is thoroughly broken. Many wanted the illegal criminals arrested & deported, but ICE arrests are 70% visa overstays and harassment of legal residents & US citizens of Hispanic origin. On top of that, the MAGA racists have come out of the wood work.
It will be interesting to see the 2025 Virginia governor's election in Nov. A state where Youngkin was able to get minorities to support him. The Republican candidate is Winsome Sears a black woman and the Dem candidate is Abigail Spanberger a white woman. Spanberger has been holding a consistent lead above the MoE.
Pretty obvious with the Kejri investment. He was a social entrepreneur specialising in anarchy and regime change but that investment was lost. Pappu is the bigger bet but God knows how many A…Z series rounds he has consumed
Hira pointed out that the selection of H-1B applicants is done through a random lottery system, not based on qualifications or skills. “H-1B workers get selected by a random lottery and not the best and brightest,” he said. This method of selection, he argues, undermines the original intent of the program, which was to attract top global talent to fill labor shortages in America.
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Hira seems to have got the facts wrong.
H1B is not some random lottery amongst all and sundry applicants. It's a lottery amongst qualified workers which includes IT, doctors, nurses and others, it's open for most country citizens in the world. That Indians grab some 70% or so is because we have so many qualified people willing to relocate to the US.
Most too 10 H1B using companies are American companies with GCCs in India. Only one Indian co TCS is in the top 10.
All this noise for less than 100K jobs a year, a drop in the US job market makes me think that this is another "Mudi must rezzine" crap gone wrong. Most as in 99.99% of Bharat will be unaffected if the US totally bans H1B. We may actually benefit with our qualified folks working at home, if some other country doesn't lap them up.
Trump Hosts Congress Leaders as Shutdown Looms | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G Donald Trump is set to host top Congressional leaders in a bid to avoid a looming government shutdown. If a deal isn't reached by Tuesday, the US government will run out funds to pay employees, starting October 1. Is there hope of a deal? Who is blocking it? Palki Sharma tells you.
