Chip Roy Introduces Act to Overhaul H-1B Visa Program

Republican Congressman Chip Roy introduced the American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act of 2026 to comprehensively overhaul the H-1B visa program. The legislation proposes replacing the current lottery system with a merit-and-wage-based selection process and reducing the maximum visa duration from six years to two. The bill seeks to abolish dual intent, requiring visa holders to maintain a foreign residence and ending the H-1B pathway to permanent residency green cards. It further proposes scrapping the Optional Practical Training program for foreign students and capping non-immigrant workers at 5% of a company's U.S. workforce.

To protect domestic labor, the act would require employers to certify that no qualified U.S. workers are available and pay wages at or above the 75th percentile for the occupation. It also includes a per-country cap, limiting visas from any single nation to 7% of the annual 65,000 limit. This measure builds on prior efforts by Congressman Eli Crane, who proposed a three-year suspension of visa issuances.

These legislative efforts align with a broader crackdown on legal migration by the Trump administration. On June 5, the administration published a new rule to restrict work authorizations for individuals with temporary protection, including DACA recipients and those on humanitarian parole, requiring them to be employed by E-Verify companies. While backed by groups like US Tech Workers and the Federation for American Immigration Reform, the bill faces a difficult path due to narrow House margins and expected opposition from Democrats and moderate Republicans.