H-1B order less stringent than feared
- Author:Ella Cai
- Release on:2017-04-19
The order on H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers signed by President Trump yesterday was not so stringent as feared.
Instead of requiring much tighter surveillance of the H-1B programme, the Presidential order merely asked for a multi-agency report and other measures which could take years to complete.
So, for the time being it looks like business as usual for the scheme which lets in 85,000 foreign workers annually mostly in high-tech industry and people with PhDs and Masters degrees.
It is estimated that 600,000 to 900,000 workers are currently in the US on H-1B visas. 15% of the employees of Qualcomm and Facebook hold H-1B visas.
The President had described the scheme as a “theft of American prosperity” which encouraged US firms to sack Americans and replace them with lower-cost immigrants.
The visa programme should include “only the most skilled and highest-paid applicants and should never, ever be used to replace American workers,” said President Trump yesterday as he signed the order at a Wisconsin factory.
Wisconsin was one of the unexpected key win states which delivered him the presidency.
Instead of requiring much tighter surveillance of the H-1B programme, the Presidential order merely asked for a multi-agency report and other measures which could take years to complete.
So, for the time being it looks like business as usual for the scheme which lets in 85,000 foreign workers annually mostly in high-tech industry and people with PhDs and Masters degrees.
It is estimated that 600,000 to 900,000 workers are currently in the US on H-1B visas. 15% of the employees of Qualcomm and Facebook hold H-1B visas.
The President had described the scheme as a “theft of American prosperity” which encouraged US firms to sack Americans and replace them with lower-cost immigrants.
The visa programme should include “only the most skilled and highest-paid applicants and should never, ever be used to replace American workers,” said President Trump yesterday as he signed the order at a Wisconsin factory.
Wisconsin was one of the unexpected key win states which delivered him the presidency.
