WASHINGTON: US Vice President JD Vance has branded the H-1B visa programme as “completely broken”, indicating he would back its total abolition on the grounds that corporations exploit the framework to substitute American personnel with cheaper international staff.
Sharing his stance via a video on the social media platform X, Vance asserted that the system has been “totally taken advantage of” across technology firms, accounting practices and various other sectors. He drew a distinct line between recruiting elite international talent and utilising H-1B permits merely to cut labour expenditures.
“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 said.
Vice President JD Vance on H1-B visas:
“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 program to bring in a genius. That’s you destroying American jobs and defrauding… pic.twitter.com/2yhrBzrnT8
— Vice President JD Vance (@VP) October 1, 2026
Furthermore, Vance defended the White House’s controversial $100,000 levy applied to certain H-1B petitions. This financial requirement originated in September 2025, targeting applicable submissions for personnel located overseas. The administration subsequently prolonged the policy in September 2026, extending its duration through September 21, 2027, subject to narrow carve-outs encompassing situations deemed vital to national interests.
According to Vance, the executive branch regards this charge as a deterrent to stop businesses from leveraging H-1B permits simply to acquire low-cost labour. “If you’re just trying to replace an American accountant with a cheaper foreign accountant, then you’re not going to pay $100,000”, he said.
Officials maintain that the policy aims to realign recruitment towards positions demanding higher skill sets and offering elevated remuneration. Vance’s observations arrive as the current administration implements extensive reforms targeting the system.
An executive directive issued on September 18 instructs the Departments of State, Labour and Homeland Security to evaluate whether a sponsoring firm has recently executed, or intends to execute, layoffs affecting comparable domestic employees during the application review process. Additionally, the directive mandates that the Labour Department scrutinise previously filed labour-condition applications to identify potential regulatory violations.
Simultaneously, the administration has established a tiered selection mechanism that prioritises higher-salaried roles. Nevertheless, Vance intimated that these adjustments might still fall short of addressing core systemic flaws.
“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.”
These statements arrive amidst persistent judicial challenges targeting the USD 100,000 fee. On October 1, a federal magistrate enjoined the charge after determining that the administration failed to adhere to mandatory administrative rulemaking protocols, compounding an earlier judicial injunction issued earlier in the year. (ANI)
