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Laying off Canadians while bringing foreigners to replace

Makes sense right? Indians, Malaysians, and mo----------g Americans. Expats and temporary. I bet their visa application indicates “specialized” roles no one in the company can perform. No sh•t, the company laid them off to maximize money laundering and siphoning billing to overseas.


Report! Report! Report!

There’s been a lot of heated discussion and debate around H-1B visas lately. Strip away the politics and emotions, and the issue really comes down to one simple question:

Can American workers do this job with a reasonable amount of training?

The H-1B program was created to address genuine skill shortages—roles where specialized expertise is scarce in the U.S. workforce. There are absolutely cases where this applies: highly specialized research, niche quantitative problems, or roles that truly require rare, advanced expertise.

For many of the positions being filled at BlackRock—particularly at junior and mid-level roles—this question deserves serious scrutiny. These are often jobs for which qualified American professionals already exist, or could become fully effective with standard on-the-job training. In such cases, the use of H-1B visas appears less like a response to a true skills shortage and more like a convenient alternative to hiring domestically.

There are also growing concerns that in some teams, hiring decisions may rely heavily on internal networks or favoritism rather than a fair and open recruitment process that genuinely considers qualified American candidates. When entire teams are composed predominantly of H-1B workers, it raises legitimate questions about compliance with both the intent of the law and fair hiring practices—questions that merit review by the appropriate government authorities. Beyond legal issues, this kind of imbalance can affect team dynamics, workplace diversity of perspectives, and trust in the fairness of the system.

That matters because the H-1B program is not meant to replace the domestic workforce. The law requires employers to show that hiring an H-1B worker will not disadvantage U.S. workers in terms of opportunity, wages, or working conditions. When roles that Americans can clearly perform are filled through visa sponsorship, it raises serious concerns about whether the spirit—and possibly the letter—of the law is being respected.

If you believe a colleague on an H-1B visa is occupying a role that qualified American workers can perform, the appropriate response is not online outrage but formal legal action. Report the situation through the appropriate authorities so it can be investigated.

Accountability helps everyone. It protects American workers, preserves the integrity of the H-1B program for truly hard-to-fill roles, and encourages companies like BlackRock to invest in and prioritize domestic talent where it makes sense. Replacing H-1B positions with qualified American workers isn’t anti-immigrant—it’s pro-fairness and pro-law.


Who Are The Top H-1B Employers In North Texas?

https://dallasexpress.com/business-markets/dallas-express-analysis-who-are-the-top-h-1b-employers-in-north-texas/

Well how about that...?

From global consultancies to public universities, federal visa records show how H-1B hiring has quietly reshaped the workforce of North Texas’ largest cities over the past five years.

From January 1, 2020, through September 30, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services records show thousands of H-1B approvals across Dallas, Tarrant, Denton, and Collin counties, underscoring how private companies and public institutions alike are reshaping local labor markets through foreign-worker hiring.

Supporters argue the visa remains essential for competitiveness.

Former Republican Presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy, who has drawn national attention for defending the program, has argued that it is necessary because “American culture has venerated mediocrity,” and that foreign workers better fit the demands of American businesses, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.

However, the AFL-CIO’s 2025 H-1B fact sheet suggested that employers embrace H-1B labor as a cheaper alternative compared to Americans.

“In fiscal year 2019, 60 percent of H-1B positions were paid at the lowest two levels, meaning they were paid below the median wage for the occupation and location,” read the document.

72% of H-1B visas are awarded to workers from India, with 12% going to those from China, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data.

Universities have emerged as some of the most aggressive users.

The University of Texas at Dallas spent more than $1.1 million on H-1B sponsorship costs since 2020 and secured roughly 300 approvals over that period, according to records obtained by The Dallas Express.

Because public universities are exempt from the annual H-1B cap, they can file petitions year-round, making taxpayer-funded institutions less restricted than their private-sector counterparts, who must compete for 85,000 annual visas.

The private sector visa footprint is large in Texas.

In Dallas alone, KPMG recorded 2,572 approvals, UT Southwestern Medical Center 1,326, Dallas Independent School District 1,272, and Texas Instruments 988, according to the USCIS Data Hub.

Texas Instruments has become a flashpoint. The Dallas-based semiconductor firm received up to $1.61 billion in federal CHIPS Act incentives and then laid off American workers while continuing to hire H-1B employees, according to reporting by The Dallas Express.

Prominent activists and organizations have raised concerns about the H-1B visa program in recent federal public comment periods on reforming the visa program.

Fran Rhodes, president of the True Texas Project, wrote that the program is “riddled with fraud and abuse, and puts American workers at a disadvantage, while creating a financial advantage for the companies hiring foreign workers at a lower pay scale,” reported by DX.

However, the Association of American Universities reportedly urged DHS to avoid reforms that would disrupt the pipeline from student visas to H-1B employment, warning that abrupt changes could harm research capacity and faculty recruitment.

The Dallas Express has prepared the tables below to give Texans a sense of how the program is directly affecting their communities.

Dallas County
Dallas
Rank Employer Total Approvals
1 KPMG 2,572
2 UT Southwestern Medical Center 1,326
3 Dallas Independent School District 1,272
4 Texas Instruments 988
5 AT&T 952


What’s going on?

Dearborn folks- from ITeK, Rotunda, and other ford offices
I felt like I’ve stepped into A call center in India.
Almost 90% on visas. What’s going on?


H1

The disproportionate presence of Indian leaders hiring and promoting mostly Indian H1-B candidates speaking their language into SVP and other VP roles in Tampa raises concerns about favoritism and closed networks. When leadership pipelines lack balance - opportunities for other equally qualified professionals are very limited.


US labor secretary's statement stating H-1B's are visa scams alarms US tech workers worried over tech behemoths engaged in mass layoffs

President Trump’s Secretary of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, had a one-on-one interview this week with The Daily Signal, a media outlet founded by The Heritage Foundation, the influential conservative think tank.

Chavez-DeRemer said her agency is currently working on almost 200 investigations, including the efforts of “Project Firewall,” an initiative that specifically monitors companies that are scamming and abusing the H-1B vias program.

Chavez-DeRemer asserts that before U.S. companies apply for the H-1B visa program, “you want to advertise to the American worker first, you want to make sure you can’t find an American worker first, and then apply for the H-1B program.”

She added, “The goal is to make sure that we have a trained workforce. So if these companies are going to use the program, we want to make sure that they’re also training American workers, so we can offer it to them first.”

U.S. Tech Workers, a nonprofit group formed by the Institute for Sound Public Policy to pressure the federal government for visa program reform and ensure companies hire U.S. tech workers first before recruiting abroad, responded to the Secretary’s comments.

U.S. Tech Workers characterizes as literal Chavez-DeRemer’s description of her ideal situation — companies advertising to American workers first — and wrote to clarify the limits of the actual legal responsibilities of H-1B employers: “Alarming to see @SecretaryLCD get basic H-1B facts wrong. She claims employers must first advertise jobs to Americans first-which is FALSE. There's no labor market test required, just self-attestation. How can you reform a program to protect Americans if you don't understand it?”

U.S. Tech Workers added: “It also appears that Project Firewall is merely targeting low-hanging IT bodyshops that once published ‘hiring H-1B only’ on job ads, rather than going after the Big Tech behemoths engaged in mass layoffs while simultaneously sponsoring visas. No structural rule changes are being proposed, such as closing the outsourcing loophole or raising the prevailing wage requirements. Disappointing @USDOL.”

The U.S. Tech Workers is not without influence or connections. The founder of the group, Kevin Lynn, met with President Trump at the White House in August 2020, when the President signed an executive order to, according to Trump, “finalize H1-B regulations so that no American worker is replaced ever again. H1-Bs, which are a scam should be used for top, highly paid talent to create American jobs, not as inexpensive labor program to destroy American jobs.”


Ex-U.S. congressman alleges H-1B visa fraud in India

Ohhhhhh .You’ve done it again.

former Rep. Dave Brat alleges large-scale H-1B visa fraud linked to India.
Claims Chennai consulate issued 220,000 visas, far above the 85,000 cap.
Former U.S. diplomat reported forged documents, political pressure at same consulate...........................................................


••• Capital One’s Indian Mafia Exposed: Massive H-1B Kickback Scheme Displaces American Workers Capital One’s Indian Mafia Exposed: Massive H-1B

•••
Capital One’s Indian Mafia Exposed: Massive H-1B Kickback Scheme Displaces American Workers
Capital One’s Indian Mafia Exposed: Massive H-1B Kickback Scheme Displaces American Workers https://thevisafiles.substack.com/p/capital-one


"US Economist Flags H-1B Fraud "

Former US Representative Dave Brat claims 'industrial-scale fraud' in H-1B system, alleging that Chennai district got 220,000 visas while India cap is 85,000

The Federal
26 Nov 2025 5:25 AM

Former US Representative and economist Dr Dave Brat has alleged widespread fraud within the H-1B visa system, claiming in a podcast that India’s Chennai district (Tamil Nadu) secured more than twice the total number of visas legally permitted nationwide.

Speaking on the podcast, Brat said the H-1B system had been "captured by industrial-scale fraud", asserting that visa allocations from India were surpassing the statutory limits.

https://thefederal.com/category/news/us-economist-flags-h1b-fraud-india-chennai-220000-visas-217952


OPT AND H1B TO BE ELIMINATED

Trump admin to make decision on OPT end of year.
Many senators already sent letter to DHS secretary to abolish the program effective immediately.

For context , about 500K OPT is used by companies yearly. This is even worse than H1B
Just fresh graduates taking over your job.

For the H1B, MTG already introduced a bill to abolish it. Unfortunately, Trump wants the H1B to satisfy his tech donors and oligarchs.


Why US companies prefer H1-Bs

Indian-origin Howard professor Ronil Hira, a critic of the H-1B visa, explained why U.S. companies favor it. Despite President Trump recently signaling a need for certain foreign talent, the administration imposed a $100,000 fee on H-1B hires, sending mixed messages. Hira noted that many H-1B workers have ordinary skills available domestically, but employers prefer them because they can be paid less and are bound to their employers. While some highly skilled workers do come via H-1B, the program often fills roles for cost and control rather than genuine skill gaps. Hira emphasized that H-1B is a labor policy, not an immigration issue, and criticized its weak worker protections, which make it attractive to Silicon Valley.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/they-are-controllable-indian-origin-howard-professor-explains-2-reasons-why-us-companies-prefer-h-1bs/articleshow/125350198.cms


Why America Imports H1B Visa Brains Instead of Building its own Citizens.?

Every year, the United States opens its doors to tens of thousands of H-1B visa holders — highly skilled professionals, mostly from India and China, who fill roles in technology, engineering, and healthcare. Politicians and CEOs justify it as a necessity: “We don’t have enough qualified workers.” But maybe the real question is — why don’t we?

The U.S. government has built a system that rewards importing talent instead of investing in it. For decades, America has underfunded public universities, allowed tuition to skyrocket, and turned higher education into a business. A degree in computer science or engineering can now leave a young American buried under six figures of debt. Meanwhile, companies say they “can’t find talent” and turn abroad — where other nations educate millions of students in STEM for a fraction of the cost.

Countries like India and China don’t just produce skilled graduates — they do it through public investment. Their taxpayers subsidize the training of engineers who later come to work for Google, Microsoft, or Amazon in America. The U.S. benefits from that education for free. It’s a brilliant deal for corporations — and a terrible one for American students.

The H-1B program wasn’t meant to undercut American workers, but that’s often the effect. It’s a convenient tool for corporations to access cheaper, compliant labor without addressing the deeper issue: America’s refusal to make education accessible and affordable. Free tuition or debt-free public universities would build a domestic pipeline of talent that could easily compete with the global workforce. But such reforms don’t attract corporate lobbyists. Visa programs do.

So, the cycle continues. The U.S. imports the best minds from abroad, while millions of bright young Americans are priced out of their own future. The “land of opportunity” keeps outsourcing opportunity itself.

If America truly wants to stay competitive in the 21st century, it must stop renting its brainpower and start growing it.


Rumors of Policy Shift: Contractors WFH, FTEs RTO in Colorado

I've been hearing some buzz about a potential change in policy at one of our Colorado offices. From what I've gathered, contractors are being given the green light to work permanently from home, while full-time employees (FTEs) are being asked to come back to the office.

I'm curious if anyone else has heard about this or has more details. It's got me wondering a few things:

Is this actually happening, and is it just in Colorado or across the whole company?

What does this mean for contractors in the long run? Are they going to be phased out or kept on indefinitely because of this work-from-home flexibility or forced to move out to other offices?

For FTEs, what are the implications, especially for those on visas like H-1B or L-1? How does this affect immigration compliance, and are there risks of layoffs, relocations, or forced conversions to contractor status?

If anyone has any insights or personal experiences, especially those in Colorado or who have been through something similar, I'd love to hear your thoughts.


Question about L1 Visas

I need somebody to confirm the specific type of visa we are using to bring people over from KLTC and BTC. After the recent layoff announcements I think it’s high time for employees to go on defense. Based on my own research I think there is a credible case to be made the company is violating the intent of the visas being granted. If so, it’s time for employees to start leaving anonymous tips to several government offices who could investigate (USCIS, Homeland Security Investigations, Dept of Labor inspector general). More on that later. I need somebody with SPECIFIC knowledge of how we are bringing people over to comment.

Here’s the situation I have observed for years now: employees from our overseas technical centers come to U.S. manufacturing sites for 1–2-year assignments. They’ve typically worked for the company abroad for a couple of years in process or technical support roles, then rotate into our entry-level plant engineer jobs here.

The company says this is part of a rotation program to build knowledge, but these engineers seem to be doing the same daily production-support work as U.S. college-hire engineers — not managing people or bringing unique proprietary technology. Many of these sites now have at least one rotational engineer on staff at any given time, which could give the impression this is not about training, but instead a cost reduction program. Paired with decreasing headcount at the same sites, it might give the impression these visas are being used to promote offshoring.

Does that kind of role meet the L-1A or L-1B definition? From what I’ve read, L-1A is for managers/executives and L-1B for specialized knowledge. What type of visa are these ex pats?

Would this typically be considered valid use of the L-1 category?


TATA Cut Off

TATA Consulting Services CEO K. Krithivasan indicated the company will halt new H-1B recruitment and shift toward hiring locally in the US and other priority markets. TCS remains the largest US H-1B employer with 98,259 hires from 2009 to 2025, including 5,505 in 2025. He said the US already has sufficient H-1 staff, renewals will be selective, and local participation will rise, linked to AI work that needs client proximity and broader skill mixes, similar to TCS’s high local staffing in Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

Analysts read this as a wider pivot in visa strategies. They expect companies such as Amazon, Cognizant, and Microsoft to favor L-1 transfers to avoid about 100,000 dollars per H-1B applicant, reducing fresh H-1B demand and speeding a move to L-1 routes for US roles.


this morning

TATA Consulting Services CEO K. Krithivasan says no new H-1B hiring soon, with a shift to growing local staff in the US and other markets. TCS will renew some existing H-1Bs, but aims to boost local participation, citing AI projects that need closer client work and broader skills.

Analysts expect others may copy this move. Companies may favor L-1 transfers to cut about 100,000 dollars per H-1B hire, reducing new H-1B demand.


Nokia has an American CEO for a specific reason.

Nokia has an "American" CEO for a purpose. But will TACO use American tax dollars to help Finland? Hope not, since Nokia has outsourced lots of American jobs in wireless telecom, fixed network, and cloud telecom networks to other nations such as China, India, CHINA (repeated for a reason), Poland, Hungry, Portugal, France, Canada, Mexico, etc. And decreased drastically the tens of thousands of employees they once had in USA. Also, major customers such as AT&T and Verizon kicked Nokia out of it's 5G network. And now they want to talk about working together on quantum and 6G after giving away the 4G and 5G technology to China (with China's 51% ownership of Nokia Shanghai Bell). Nokia is now begging the US gov't for partnership only because China has decreased it's business with Nokia drastically over the past several years. If China was still giving Nokia business and expanding in China, would Nokia have even hired an American CEO? By the way, Nokia told Trump it has 7000 employees in US, but they forgot to mention that 1/3 are on foreign work visa in every single business group including many in research. That amounts to ONLY about 5000 or less "American" employees.