‘Stop this crazy Indian migration’: Row over Pennsylvania university hiring H-1B worker on $79,584 annual salary

A new H-1B filing by the University of Pennsylvania has stirred a row after details of a $79,584 data analyst role circulated on social media this week.US commentator Chris Brunet mentioned the case on X, writing that the institution had hired a foreign worker for the post. “This morning, the University of Pennsylvania (@Penn) filed a notice of intent to hire an H-1B Data Analyst. Salary: $79,584,” Brunet wrote.According to the filing, the position sits within the General Internal Medicine department at the Perelman School of Medicine. The annual pay is listed as $79,584.75, with the role due to begin on December 23, 2025 and run until December 22, 2028.Work locations include several sites in Philadelphia, among them 423 Guardian Drive and 3600 Civic Center Boulevard, alongside remote arrangements in Philadelphia and Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.The university’s notice states that the Labor Condition Application was submitted in line with US Department of Labor requirements for H-1B hiring. It also confirms that a candidate had already been selected, adding that the notice was “not a posting for an open position.”It warns that “Complaints alleging misrepresentation of material facts in the labor condition application and/or failure to comply with the terms of the labor condition application may be filed with any office of the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor.”Because the University of Pennsylvania is a cap-exempt institution, it can hire H-1B workers without going through the annual visa lottery that most private companies must use. US government records show the university has submitted dozens of H-1B applications in the 2026 financial year. These applications are usually approved once officials confirm that the employer is following wage and labour rules meant to protect US workers.The filing stirred a row over the use of the H-1B programme, particularly in higher education. Conservative television host Laura Ingraham has previously criticised the system, calling it an “obscene” scam that she argues disadvantages American workers. Many other MAGA loudmouths such as as James Fishback, Nalin Haley, Priya Patel have all doubled down on this anti-H-1B stance.One social media user wrote, “All state universities across our great nation who are recipients of public funds should not be allowed to hire, train, enroll or educate foreigners.”Another comment read, “Ridiculous. There are MANY Americans capable of doing that job. We must stop this crazy Indian migration nonsense. Especially since we know several of them PURCHASED their degrees and credentials and are UNQUALIFIED for their positions. NO!”