FIIDS backs tighter H-1B scrutiny, cautions against hurting US innovation

Indians remain the largest group of beneficiaries of the US H-1B visa programme.

The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) has welcomed tighter scrutiny of H-1B visa applications, but cautioned that it should not come at the cost of American innovation, as jobs requiring highly specialised skills cannot always be filled immediately from the available domestic labour pool.

The statement from FIIDS, an advocacy group, came hours after US President Donald Trump tightened oversight of the H-1B visa programme, contending that it had been widely misused by certain employers, including IT outsourcing firms.

FIIDS appreciates and understands the Administration's intent to protect America's national and economic interests, safeguard American workers, and address abuse of the H-1B programme. Those are legitimate objectives, Khanderao Kand, Chief of Policy and Strategy at FIIDS, said in a statement on Friday.

He said the ability of the US to attract exceptional talent has made it the world's leading innovation economy.

Ajay Bhutoria, former advisor to President Joe Biden, said federal oversight must remain focused on bad corporate actors rather than penalising law-abiding, highly-skilled legal immigrants who play by the rules, pay taxes, and contribute significantly to American innovation.

Bhutoria emphasised that while safeguards against unfair worker displacement are essential, government policy must maintain a predictable, transparent framework for compliant employers and legal visa holders.

"Real reform means holding big corporations and body shops accountable when they abuse visa programmes to undercut local wages or displace workers. Protecting system integrity isn't about blaming immigrants; it's about stopping corporate greed and ensuring fair play for Americans and the legal workforce alike," Bhutoria said.

The FIIDS official said in fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced semiconductors, cloud infrastructure, and specialised data engineering, employers can face real and highly specific skills gaps that cannot always be filled immediately from the available domestic labour pool.

Kand said the US will be the strongest when it protects workers from exploitation and discrimination, rewards employers that comply with the law, invests seriously in American talent, and remains capable of attracting the people whose ideas, enterprises, and expertise create the next generation of American jobs.

The answer is not to pit American workers against high-skilled immigrants.