The Trump administration said on Friday it would ask companies to pay $100,000 per year for H-1B worker visas, prompting some big tech companies to warn visa holders to stay in the U.S. or quickly return.
The change could deal a big blow to the technology sector that relies heavily on skilled workers from India and China.
Since taking office in January, Trump has kicked off a wide-ranging immigration crackdown, including moves to limit some forms of legal immigration. The step to reshape the H-1B visa program represents his administration’s most high-profile effort yet to rework temporary employment visas.
Not a Trump fan. But this actually seems like a good idea to me. The H1B program is widely abused for companies to hire foreign technical workers rather than Americans. They do this because it is often cheaper. I would love to see it become more expensive.
I think a better way to do it would be to simply say H1B workers are no longer tied to any specific company, and must be paid at least call it $85,000/year. Plus the $100k fee to create the position. That way the program is restricted to its intent, to hire the best and brightest from other nations.
That said, I’m sure this is going to be horribly fucked up somehow. And springing this with zero notice left a ton of people who were traveling in a limbo, like there was a story of a flight about to take off to India that had to go back to the gate because people were basically threatening to jump out of the plane on the runway after this was announced. As usual with Trump, the people don’t seem to matter.
But with that said, I’m not entirely sure this isn’t a great idea.
it wont make them hire locals more, it might make them hire internationally instead to support the operations in the states, without having them moving here.