The recently passed $787bn stimulus bill in effect prevents financial institutions that have received money from the government's troubled asset relief programme from applying for H1-B visas for highly skilled immigrants if they have recently made US workers redundant.
BofA, which has received a total of $45bn in Tarp funds, is in the process of digesting two large acquisitions involving Countrywide, the mortgage broker, and Merrill Lynch which will see thousands of jobs lost.
A spokesman for the bank said: “Recent changes in legislation made it necessary for Bank of America to rescind job offers it had made to students requiring H-1B sponsorship.”