US Senator seeks tighter H-1B hiring practices over concerns about foreign workers replacing Americans

US Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) has called for tighter oversight of H-1B hiring practices, raising concerns that companies could be using the visa programme and the broader PERM labour certification process to favour foreign workers over qualified Americans. In a letter to Acting US Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling, Schmitt urged the Department of Labor to modernise recruitment rules, strengthen fraud checks and ensure American workers get a genuine opportunity to compete for jobs before employers seek permanent certification for foreign employees.

Schmitt has urged the Department of Labor (DOL) to overhaul the rules governing the employment-based immigration process, arguing that outdated recruitment requirements could allow companies to favour foreign workers over qualified Americans.