FTC Chair Targets H-1B, OPT Over 400,000 Workers and 83% Junior-Level Visa Petitions
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 17
FTC Chair Targets H-1B, OPT Over 400,000 Workers and 83% Junior-Level Visa Petitions
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 17
Summary
Andrew Ferguson called for ending the H-1B and OPT programs, arguing they let corporations replace U.S. workers with cheaper visa holders rather than fill genuine skill shortages.
83% of H-1B petitions filed from 2020 to 2024 were for entry- and junior-level jobs, DHS said, while Labor found required H-1B pay floors run $19,000 below comparable U.S. wages.
OPT, which lets foreign graduates work up to three years, now covers more than 400,000 students with no cap, no labor-market test and no minimum salary requirement, the report said.
More than 10,000 OPT cases involved suspect or nonexistent employers, according to Trump’s fraud task force in May, and Fox reported in June that counterfeit Indian degrees were used to obtain H-1B visas.
Ferguson said the two programs form a pipeline from student visas to H-1B status and permanent residency, contending the system was shaped by corporate lobbyists and needs a full legal-immigration overhaul.