A lot has been said about the H-1B visa program, but none as strongly as the proposed American White-Collar Workers Jobs Act of 2026. The H.R. 9157 bill aims to make major changes to the H-1B visa process, which employers use to hire foreign talent for specialty jobs. If passed, the American White-Collar Workers Jobs Act would eventually replace the lottery-style visa pipeline with stronger wage standards and more protection for America white-collar workers.
The American White-Collar Workers Jobs Act (HR 9157) bill’s primary goal is to make it harder and more expensive for employers to hire foreign talent.
What is the American White-Collar Workers Jobs Act?
The HR 9157 bill was introduced by Rep. Chip Roy on June 4, 2026 and referred to the House Judiciary Committee. It seeks to overhaul how U.S. employers hire foreign professionals, especially in technology, healthcare, finance, engineering and other white-collar industries.
The American White-Collar Workers Jobs Act (HR 9157) bill’s primary goal is to make it harder and more expensive for employers to hire foreign talent, enforcing stricter domestic labor market protections.
Proposed structural changes to H-1B under HR 9167 Bill
If passed, the HR 9167 bill against H-1B to protect American white-collar workers jobs, would introduce caps on use of foreign workers.
- Abolish the lottery system: The current random lottery system for H-1B visas would be replaced with a fair wage-based selection process that prioritizes applications with the highest offered salaries.
- Eliminate OPT: The Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which allows international students to work in the U.S. after graduation, would be completely dissolved.
- End the ‘dual intent’ pathway: The HR 9157 bill will remove the ability to use the H-1B visa as a stepping stone to a Green Card (permanent residency). Applicants would have to prove their maintain a foreign residence they have no intention of abandoning.
- Mandatory labor testing: Employers would be required to publicly post jobs on a Department of Labor website and prove that they actively recruited U.S. workers, and offer role to any equally or better-qualified American applicant before hiring a foreign worker.
How the American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act (H.R. 9157) impacts industries
Sectors that rely heavily on foreign talent would face a drastically altered and hostile hiring conditions.
- Cost escalation: The requirement to pay at least the 75th-percentile wage, along with the threat of $100,000 penalties for compliance failures would end up making hiring foreign talent expensive. This would especially keep startups and mid-sized firms from hiring international workers.
- Collapse of talent pipeline: One of the many drawbacks of abolishing the OPT program is that it severely affects the direct pipeline of U.S.-educated international graduates from universities to domestic companies.
- Administrative bottlenecks: Mandatory labor testing, managing public job postings on DOL websites, and proving that no qualified American was bypassed would prove to be an intensive compliance exercise for companies.
How the American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act (H.R. 9157) impacts employees
The HR 9157 bill creates a divide in the labor market by heavily favoring domestic workers while dismantling the so-called American Dream narrative for highly-skilled international workers.
Most Vulnerable Groups: H-1B applicants, international students and specialized STEM professionals would see their pathways to U.S. employment vanish. Without OPT and with ‘dual intent’ abolished, even those who manage to secure a two-year-visa will have no route to build a permanent life in the U.S.
Intended beneficiaries: U.S. citizens and permanent residents in these white-collar fields will be shielded from foreign talent. The high costs, rigid quotas, and bureaucratic hurdles are specifically designed to force companies to hire domestic talent first, particularly for entry-level and mid-tier roles.
A clash of perspectives on the American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act
Supporters of the HR 9157 Bill view the current H-1B and OPT programs as flawed exploits wielded by companies to reduce labor costs. By allowing a steady stream of foreign professionals who are often willing to work for lower wages, companies suppress salary growth of American white-collar workers.
Moreover, the current system binds H-1B workers to a single employer as they wait decades for a green card. By shortening the visa to two years and enforcing a high wage floor (using 75th-percentile), the bill will ensure that H-1B visas only go to truly exceptional global talent.
Critics, however, warn that if the U.S. closes its doors to top foreign graduates, those individuals will simply take their talents to countries like Canada, the UK and the EU. Furthermore, tech giants have openly warned that if they cannot hire talent domestically, they will simply have to offshore business units to countries where recruitment for global talent remains unhindered.
The HR 9157 bill affects American higher education institutions as well. Universities rely heavily on international students who pay full tuition and heavily populate STEM programs. Removing OPT would not only disrupt the enrollment of international students, but also strip universities of research labor and funding.
The HR 9157 gauntlet and when it passes
It’s safe to assume that the controversial American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act has an uphill battle to become law. The bill is currently sitting in the House Judiciary Committee and must first clear intense scrutiny, lobbying pressure and amendments. Bills of such magnitude are usually left to anguish in committee without ever being brought to a vote.
The tech, finance and higher education sectors possess some of the most well-funded lobbying operations in Washington. They are already deploying resources to block the bill’s most restrictive provisions.
As for employers, the HR 9157 bill represents the most significant threat to highly-skilled immigration in recent years, making it a critical barometer for the future of tech dominance.
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