By softening the blow on H-1B visas, Trump has acknowledged the need for foreign talent for American growth. He said complex jobs require specialized skills, which are not readily available locally.
Washington DC: US President Donald Trump seems to be softening his tough stance on H-1B visa reforms. He recognized that there was a need to bring in special talent from abroad for key roles in the American workforce. In an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Tuesday (local time), Trump defended the importance of skilled immigrant workers. He argued that the United States could not employ chronically unemployed Americans in complex jobs like manufacturing and defense without adequate training. Although he is in favor of raising wages for American workers, America must “bring in this talent” to maintain its industrial and technological edge.
Missiles cannot be made from a person standing in the queue for unemployment…
When asked whether H-1B visa reform would be a major priority for his administration, Trump said, “I agree, but you also have to bring this talent.” When asked during the interview that the United States has “a lot of talented people,” Trump responded, “No, you don’t. There are some skills that you don’t have, and people have to learn them. You can’t pick people off the unemployment line and say, ‘I’m going to put you in a factory where we’ll make missiles.'” The US president also cited an example from the state of Georgia, where, according to him, removing skilled foreign workers could lead to the production of complex products. Difficulties arose in construction. “They had people in South Korea who had been making batteries their whole lives. Making batteries is very complicated and very dangerous – a lot of explosions, a lot of problems. Early on they had about 500 or 600 people building batteries and teaching people how to do it,” he said.
Why did Trump suddenly become soft on H-1B?
Trump was referring to a September raid by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials at a Hyundai plant under construction in the state of Georgia, during which hundreds of South Korean workers were arrested and deported. He stressed that such industries require special expertise, which cannot be immediately fulfilled by untrained or chronically unemployed workers. Trump’s comments are a major change from his earlier tough stance on foreign worker visas, particularly the H-1B program, which has been one of the central topics in US debates on immigration and employment.
The fee for H-1B visa application is $100,000 but…
Earlier in September, Trump signed a proclamation that triggered a major overhaul of H-1B visa petitioning. According to the announcement, there will now be a fee of $100,000 for new H-1B visa applications. The US State Department later clarified that the new fee requirement applies only to individuals or companies filing new H-1B petitions or entering the H-1B lottery after September 21. Existing visa holders and petitions submitted before that date will not be affected.