Congress moves to ban foreign tech workers, raising wage floors and ending post-grad visas
S. 2821 — American Tech Workforce Act of 2025 · Filed by Jim Banks (R-IN) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 16, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill terminates the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which allows foreign students to work in the U.S. for up to three years after graduation, and raises H-1B visa wage floors to at least $150,000 annually (indexed to inflation) or the prior wage paid to a U.S. worker doing the same job. It also restricts H-1B visas for third-party contractor work and prioritizes visa approvals for higher-paying positions. The stated intent is to reduce what the bill characterizes as unfair competition from lower-wage foreign workers and to protect U.S. job opportunities.
Why we flagged it
The bill's primary mechanism is restricting foreign worker supply and raising wage floors for visa holders, framed as worker protection but functioning as a labor-market intervention that may reduce tech-sector labor supply and increase costs. It is not a straightforward worker-protection bill (which would, e.g., strengthen wage enforcement or union rights) but rather a supply-side restriction on a specific visa category.
What the text implies
- Terminating OPT may reduce U.S. universities' international enrollment and competitiveness, as foreign students lose a key incentive to study in the U.S., potentially harming higher-education institutions and their local economies.
- The $150,000 wage floor may disproportionately affect mid-market and smaller tech firms that cannot afford such wages, potentially consolidating hiring power among large tech companies that can absorb the cost.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
U.S. tech workers (wage protection); Large tech companies with high wage-paying capacity (competitive advantage over smaller firms); Domestic staffing and recruitment firms (reduced foreign competition)