New Delhi: After the recent announcement on H-1B visas, which caused confusion and concern, especially among Indian techies, the Trump Administration has now proposed an overhaul of the H-1B visa selection process to favour higher-paid, higher-skilled workers.
The proposal comes after a White House announcement on Friday introduced a $100,000 fee for employers seeking H-1B visas, in yet another effort to limit foreign labour in the US and protect jobs for Americans.
Details of the new proposal have been published in a related Federal Register notice. The notice states: “The DHS (Department of Homeland Security) proposes to implement a weighted selection process that would generally favour the allocation of H1-B visas to higher skilled and higher paid aliens while maintaining the opportunity for employers to secure H1-B workers at all wage levels, to better serve the Congressional intent for the H1-B programme.”
The notice, published by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), serves as a formal publication of the implementation of the H-1B visa programme’s procedures and is part of the US Department of Homeland Security’s official record.
President Donald Trump launched a wide-ranging crackdown on immigration after taking office in January, including mass deportations and attempts to block citizenship for children of illegal immigrants in the U.S.
The latest attack has been on the H-1B programme, which mostly concerns tech and outsourcing companies, which hire skilled foreign workers.
On Friday, the Trump administration had announced it would ask companies to pay $100,000 per year for H-1B visas, sparking panic among workers and companies alike. Some big tech companies warned visa holders to stay in the U.S. or return quickly. However, the White House later clarified that the fee would apply only to new visas.
A Bloomberg report on Monday quoted a White House spokesperson as saying that doctors and medical workers such as physicians and medical residents, could be exempt from the new visa rules. This came after multiple prominent medical organisations pointed out the shortage of medical staff in rural America.
“The Proclamation allows for potential exemptions, which can include physicians and medical residents. Ultimately, the Trump Administration defers to the language in the proclamation,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Bloomberg via email.
The H-1B programme grants 65,000 visas each year to employers hiring temporary foreign workers in specialised fields, along with an additional 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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