Lawmakers Question U.S. Companies Over H-1B Visa Use Amid Layoffs

U.S. lawmakers on Thursday pressed major companies including Apple (AAPL.O), Amazon (AMZN.O), and JPMorgan (JPM.N) to explain why they continue hiring thousands of foreign workers on H-1B visas while simultaneously cutting jobs elsewhere.

The inquiry follows the Trump administration’s announcement last week that companies would be required to pay $100,000 annually for each H-1B visa. The program allows businesses to hire foreign employees in specialized fields. The administration also proposed reforms to shift the visa selection process in favor of higher-skilled and better-paid workers.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley and Democratic Senator Dick Durbin sent letters to 10 leading employers, requesting detailed information about the number of H-1B employees they hire, the wages they pay them, and whether this hiring has displaced American workers.

In a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, the senators wrote: “With so much domestic talent being sidelined, it is difficult to believe that Amazon cannot find qualified U.S. tech workers to fill these positions.”

The Wall Street Journal first reported the letters.

The lawmakers’ concerns come as large tech firms such as Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft — all investing heavily in artificial intelligence — have announced significant layoffs this year.

Other companies that received the letter include Deloitte, Google parent Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Walmart, Cognizant Technology Solutions, and Tata Consultancy Services.

According to government data, India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71% of approvals, followed by China with 11.7%.

In the first half of 2025, Amazon and its cloud arm AWS received approvals for more than 12,000 H-1B visas, while Microsoft and Meta each secured more than 5,000.

Walmart, Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, and Cognizant did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.