Archive · 3 Oct 2026
Vance Renews Call to Eliminate H-1B Visa Program
The H-1B program lets U.S. employers hire some workers from other countries for specialized jobs.
These jobs can include work in technology, healthcare and engineering.
JD Vance says some companies use the program to hire people for less money instead of keeping American workers.
He says the program is broken and should be ended.
He also supports a $100,000 fee for certain applications.
The administration says the fee is meant to discourage companies from using the program for lower-paid jobs.
Federal judges have blocked the fee in legal challenges.
The administration is also looking more closely at companies’ hiring and layoffs.
Vice President JD Vance called the H-1B program “completely broken” and said he would support eliminating it.
Vance argued some employers use the program to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign employees, citing an accountant earning $45,000 replacing an American earning $60,000.
The H-1B program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for specialized jobs; the articles cite technology, healthcare and engineering as examples.
Vance defended a $100,000 fee on certain new applications, which the administration says is intended to discourage lower-paid hiring and prioritize higher-skilled roles.
The fee has faced federal court challenges, while the administration has pursued additional scrutiny of hiring, layoffs and potential visa fraud.
- Who
- Vice President JD Vance; the Trump administration is also involved in the fee and other policy changes.
- What
- Vance renewed his call to eliminate the H-1B visa program and defended a fee on certain applications.
- When
- Vance made the remarks in interviews and statements reported in October 2026; the articles also describe a fee introduced in September 2025 and extended in September 2026.
- Where
- The United States; Vance's remarks were shared on X and in an interview aboard Air Force Two.
- Why
- Vance says employers have used the program to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labor.
Eliminate or Restrict the Program
Retain It for Specialized Hiring
Effect on American workers
Eliminate or Restrict the Program
Vance and other critics argue that employers use H-1B visas to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labor.
Retain It for Specialized Hiring
The program allows employers to recruit foreign workers for specialized jobs; the articles describe roles requiring relevant qualifications.
Future of the program
Eliminate or Restrict the Program
Vance said he would support eliminating the program and, while it remains, wants stronger protection for American workers.
Retain It for Specialized Hiring
The articles describe the program as a route for employers to hire workers in specialized fields, including technology, healthcare and engineering.
The $100,000 fee
Eliminate or Restrict the Program
Vance defended the fee as a deterrent to companies seeking lower-cost labor and a way to prioritize higher-skilled, higher-paid roles.
Retain It for Specialized Hiring
The fee has faced legal challenges; reported court rulings found that required rule-making procedures had not been followed.
- Program purpose
- The H-1B program permits U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for specialized occupations.
- Fields mentioned
- Technology, healthcare and engineering.
- Vance's position
- He called the program completely broken and said he would support eliminating it.
- Example cited
- Vance contrasted a foreign accountant earning $45,000 with an American accountant earning $60,000.
- Fee
- The administration imposed a $100,000 fee on certain H-1B applications.
- Fee extension
- One article says the fee was extended through September 21, 2027, with narrow carve-outs.
- Legal challenges
- Articles report that federal judges blocked or enjoined the fee, citing rule-making procedure concerns.
- Other scrutiny
- The administration has directed greater scrutiny of applications, layoffs and possible visa-related violations.
