President Donald Trump has issued an executive order, directing federal agencies to propose reform to the H-1B Visa program used to hire skilled foreign workers in order to “shift the program back to its original intent and prevent the displacement of American workers.”
Called “Buy American — Hire American,” the Order also seeks to promote American industry and protect it from unfair competition.
This Executive Order targets the abusive use of waivers and exceptions that undermine “Buy American” laws meant to promote taxpayer money going to American companies.
H1-B Visa program has been used by high-tech companies, particularly those in the information technology, to employ skilled foreign workers to work in the United States for three years. Each year, the companies can hire up to 85,000 skilled workers from foreign countries. The number includes, 65,000 those with bachelor’s degrees and 20,000 for those with master’s degrees or higher.
“We are going to use a tool you all know very well. It’s called the sledgehammer,” Trump said Tuesday during a speech at Snap-on Tools, a company in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The reforms will seek that companies comply and demonstrate that the visas are issued absolutely fairly to bring such highly skilled workers that are not available in the United States.
“They (H1-Bs) should be given to the most skilled and highest-paid applicants and not be used to replace Americans,” Trump said.
Since inception of the visa program, India has been its largest beneficiary, and according to the the Department of Homeland Security 71 percent of H1-B visas went to the Indians in 2015. Visas issued to Chinese workers are 10 percent of the total.
But it is the outsourcing companies that come into play at the time of filing applications each year, with reports saying that Indian outsourcing firms submit thousands of applications each to maximize the winners from visa lottery.
