IT staffing firm under fire for excluding US workers, hiring only H-1B visa holders

LanceSoft excludes Americans, hires H-1B

A major staffing firm has come under fire after a job advertisement appeared to exclude United States citizens, restricting applications exclusively to H-1B visa holders. The listing has triggered accusations of discrimination in sectors heavily dependent on foreign work visas.

The firm, LanceSoft — an IT staffing company that publicly champions “diversity, equality, and inclusivity” — posted the advert on November 25 for a technical support position in California, according to the Washington Free Beacon. The role offered $60 an hour and was presented as an equal-opportunity position open to applicants from all backgrounds.

However, under the “Visa requirement” section, the listing specified that candidates “must hold an active H1B visa.” A recruiter, Riyaz Ansari, went further, writing “No USC/GC for this role,” a reference to US citizens and green card holders. He also described LanceSoft as a “certified Minority Business Enterprise.”

US federal law prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of citizenship status. The Free Beacon reported finding more than two dozen similar job postings since 2024 that appeared to exclude Americans, including several listed on LinkedIn. Many of these postings were from companies owned by Indian nationals, who account for roughly 70 per cent of H-1B visa holders.

LanceSoft removed the advert within 24 hours after being contacted by reporters, the publication said.

The Justice Department has previously fined multiple companies over comparable practices, including Meta, IBM and several tech recruitment firms.

Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice, said authorities were actively examining such cases.

In a post on X, the Indian-origin official wrote: “Thanks for flagging — we have a team working on these cases and will look at this. We work with the USEEOC and USDOL and the White House.”

Thanks for flagging — we have a team working on these cases and will look at this. We work with the @USEEOC and @USDOL and the White House. Did I mention the Civil Rights Division is hiring, including for lawyers to do more of this work? Check out https://t.co/MiWmsDqz0Z! https://t.co/k6VZOhlXZ2

— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) December 6, 2025

The controversy comes amid growing divisions within the MAGA movement over the H-1B visa programme. While the Trump administration has argued that skilled foreign workers are essential for sectors such as technology and defence, many right-leaning supporters have criticised the policy, accusing President Donald Trump of abandoning his “America First” pledge.