Government data reveals that one of the most high-profile global institutions uses foreign labor in the United States.
At least 60 H-1B workers have been employed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) LLC since 2014, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) H-1B Employer Data Hub in 2024. Data for 2025 is not yet available.
The H-1B is a non-immigrant, employment-based visa for workers with exceptional merit, skills, or abilities or who work in specialty occupations. Approximately 85,000 of these temporary work visas are issued every year, and each one allows the recipient to work in the U.S. legally for up to six years.
“The H-1B program allows employers in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers in occupations that require the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or higher in the specific specialty, or its equivalent,” the USCIS website stated.
Entries in the H-1B Salary Database indicate that the WEF filed an H-1B visa application for a Foundations Partner Manager in 2024. The base salary recorded was $166,000, and the location of employment was New York City.
In 2023, there were applications for four roles in the H-1B Salary Database, with salaries ranging from $165,000 to $487,000. The applications were for these roles: Data Ecosystems Lead to Head, Lead Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Head of Public Sector Engagement (Tropical Forest Alliance), and Regional Agenda (Latin America).
“This website indexes the Labor Condition Application (LCA) disclosure data from the United States Department of Labor (DOL). Prior to filing an H-1B petition with the USCIS, an employer must file an LCA with the DOL. An LCA is used by employers as supporting evidence for the petition for an H-1B visa. DOL disclosure data does not indicate the employer’s intended use for the LCA,” the H-1B Salary Database website says of its results.
The WEF describes itself as “committed to improving the state of the world – as the international organization for public-private cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.”
The merits of the H-1B visa program have been the subject of debate in recent years.
“Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer). That doesn’t start in college, it starts YOUNG,” then-presidential elect advisor Vivek Ramaswamy posted on X in December of 2024, prompting an online firestorm over H-1B visas in the incoming administration. “A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers.”
Critics of the program claim to have been de-badged and demonetized on X after criticizing its owner, Elon Musk, also an H-1B advocate, The Dallas Express reported.
Trump, who initially asked Ramaswamy and Musk to guide the incoming Department of Government Efficiency, was once an H-1B critic.
“Megyn Kelly asked about highly-skilled immigration. The H-1B program is neither high-skilled nor immigration: these are temporary foreign workers, imported from abroad, for the explicit purpose of substituting for American workers at lower pay,” then-candidate Trump said during his 2016 presidential bid.
Trump shared his interest in restricting or eliminating the visa program.
“I remain totally committed to eliminating rampant, widespread H-1B abuse and ending outrageous practices such as those that occurred at Disney in Florida when Americans were forced to train their foreign replacements. I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program. No exceptions,” he concluded.
During his first term as President, Trump placed restrictions on H-1B visas in 2020. Contemporaneously, he condemned the Tennessee Valley Authority for replacing American employees with H-1B visa holders.
However, Trump’s views appear to have softened.
“I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” he told the New York Post days before re-taking the oath of office.