JD Vance calls H-1B visa programme 'completely broken' and backs its abolition

US Vice President JD Vance has said the H-1B visa programme is "completely broken" and that he would support eliminating it altogether, arguing that American companies routinely abuse the system to undercut local salaries.

Speaking in a video posted on X, Vance accused technology firms, accounting practices and other employers of treating the work visas as a loophole for cheap foreign recruitment rather than a conduit for exceptional international talent.

"If you're going to bring in an accountant making $45,000 a year to replace an accountant who is an American making $60,000 a year, that's not you using the programme to bring in a genius," Vance said. "That's you destroying American jobs and defrauding the American people."

While Vance stopped short of announcing any formal executive decision to scrap the visas—a step that would require congressional legislation—his comments mark the most aggressive stance taken against the visa framework by the current White House.

"My view is the H-1B programme is completely broken, and I'd be very supportive of just eliminating it," he said. "But while we have it, what we have to do is protect American workers."

The $100,000 fee and court battles

Vance also mounted a defence of the administration's contentious $100,000 fee on certain H-1B filings, describing the steep charge as a deliberate filter to stop companies from hiring overseas simply to cut overheads.

"If you're just trying to replace an American accountant with a cheaper foreign accountant, then you're not going to pay $100,000," Vance said.

The White House first rolled out the fee in September 2025 for eligible petitions covering overseas workers, later extending it in September 2026 until 21 September 2027, with narrow exemptions carved out for roles deemed vital to national interests.

Yet the fee remains mired in legal trouble. On 1 October, a federal magistrate enjoined the rule after ruling that the administration had bypassed mandatory administrative rulemaking procedures. That order followed an earlier court injunction against the levy issued earlier in the year.

Broadening scrutiny on sponsoring firms

The dispute over fees coincides with a broader White House clampdown on employer hiring practices. Under an executive directive issued on 18 September, the Departments of State, Labour, and Homeland Security were ordered to check whether petitioning businesses had recently laid off, or intended to lay off, American workers in comparable positions.

That same order instructed the Department of Labour to comb through historic labour-condition filings for potential compliance breaches. Alongside heightened audits, the administration has introduced a tiered selection system designed to award visas to applicants offered higher salaries.

Whether those curbs will remain enough to satisfy the White House inner circle remains open to doubt. With the administration's fee tied up in federal court, Vance's remarks suggest the White House may continue to push for far deeper cuts to skilled foreign immigration.