• US lawmakers are questioning major tech firms about their use of H-1B visas.
• Senators are concerned about hiring foreign workers while laying off American employees.
• The Trump administration has introduced a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley and Democratic Senator Dick Durbin have sent inquiries to several major U.S. companies, including Amazon, Apple, and JPMorgan Chase, regarding their hiring of thousands of foreign workers on H-1B visas. The lawmakers are demanding detailed reports on the number of H-1B workers employed, their wages, and whether American workers have been displaced as a result of these hiring practices during a time of heightened unemployment in the tech sector, according to Indiatimes and Channel News Asia.

The letters address direct concerns regarding layoffs in major tech firms juxtaposed against their continued H-1B visa applications. Recent data shows Amazon and its cloud division have secured over 12,000 H-1B approvals in early 2025 even as they announced significant job cuts. The senators specifically emphasize the mismatch between being unable to find qualified American tech talent and large-scale foreign hiring, as highlighted in their communication with Amazon's CEO, Andy Jassy, according to Business Insider and Indiatimes.

The lawmakers' scrutiny follows the Trump administration's announcement to impose a $100,000 fee on all new H-1B visa applications and to revise the selection process to prioritize higher-paid foreign workers. This policy change has raised concerns that smaller companies may struggle with the new fee structure, according to Channel News Asia and Business Insider.