The United States may be heading for another round of immigration policy reforms as the new head of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Joseph Edlow, has signaled sweeping changes to both the H-1B visa programme and the U.S. citizenship test.
Edlow, who recently took over leadership at the USCIS, revealed that the H-1B system, which has long been a lightning rod in U.S. immigration debates, needs a fundamental overhaul.
According to him, the current visa framework no longer meets the needs of American workers and must be redesigned to ensure it serves the domestic labour market more effectively.
Echoes of Trump-era immigration policies
His comments align with earlier immigration positions championed under President Donald Trump’s administration, which often focused on reducing reliance on foreign labour and tightening eligibility requirements.
The H-1B visa, which allows U.S. companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations, has been a critical pathway for global talent, especially in the tech and healthcare sectors. But critics say the system is being abused to displace U.S. workers with cheaper foreign labour.
Political pressure builds around visa reform
The proposed changes, which Edlow hinted would also include revisions to the U.S. citizenship test, have sparked renewed discussions over the direction of American immigration policy heading into the next election cycle.
Edlow also added that changes to the H-1B visa programme may help calm growing backlash from conservative Republicans who argue the system drives down wages for American workers.
Vice President JD Vance this week openly criticized companies that lay off local staff only to replace them with cheaper foreign hires.
Edlow echoed a similar concern, stating that the H-1B program should “supplement, not supplant” the U.S. economy, businesses, and workers.
“I really do think that the way H-1B needs to be used, and this is one of my favorite phrases, is to, along with a lot of other parts of immigration, supplement, not supplant, U.S. economy and U.S. businesses and U.S. workers,” Edlow told The New York Times.
Tech sector defends H-1B amid talent shortages
Despite the political pressure, some of President Trump’s strongest supporters in the tech industry defend the program, arguing they rely on it due to a persistent shortage of qualified local talent.
Currently, 85,000 H-1B visas are issued annually through a lottery system to bring in highly skilled foreign workers.
Any proposed reforms from Edlow would need to pass through the federal government’s formal rule-making process before implementation.
Mr. Edlow also said the administration wanted to change the naturalization test required by prospective U.S. citizens.
As of now, immigrants study 100 civics questions and then must respond correctly to six out of 10 questions to pass that portion of the test. During the first Trump administration, the agency increased the number of questions and required applicants to respond correctly to 12 out of 20 questions.
Mr. Edlow says the agency plans to return to a version of that test soon.
