The Donald Trump administration is preparing to overhaul the H1B visa system — the most highly sought-after non-immigrant visa among Indian IT professionals — along with initiating reforms in the Green Card process, according to US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
Among the many Indian communities in the US, Gujaratis have been notably active in pursuing Green Cards, often through entrepreneurial ventures, contributing significantly to the Indian-American presence in the country.
In an interview with a media outlet, Lutnick said, “I’m involved in changing the H1B programme. We’re going to change that programme, because that’s terrible.” He also confirmed that the administration will be introducing changes to the Green Card system, which grants permanent residency in the United States.
“You know, we give green cards. The average American makes USD 75,000 a year, and the average green card recipient USD 66,000, so we’re taking the bottom quartile, like, why are we doing that? That’s why Donald Trump is going to change it. That’s the Gold Card that’s coming. And we’re going to start picking the best people to come into this country. It’s time for that to change,” he was quoted as saying.
On social media the same day, Lutnick posted: “The current H1B visa system is a scam that lets foreign workers fill American job opportunities. Hiring American workers should be the priority of all great American businesses. Now is the time to hire American.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also criticized the H1B programme in an interview with Fox News, calling it a “total scam.”
“These companies game the system. You have some of these companies that are laying off large numbers of Americans while they’re also getting new H1Bs and renewing H1Bs,” he said.
He challenged the widespread belief that the H1B visa system brings in top global talent.
“The reality is that’s not actually what H1B are. Most of them are from one country, India. There’s a cottage industry about how all that people make money off this system,” he said.
DeSantis argued that in the current job landscape, particularly in light of disruptions caused by artificial intelligence, young Americans are facing growing challenges.
“So if that’s going to continue to produce dislocations, why would we be importing foreign workers when we have our own people that we need to take care of,” he said.
He also criticised the structure of the visa itself, pointing out that it restricts workers to one employer.
“It’s almost like a form of indenture servitude. And so we’ve seen them take advantage of that time and time again,” he said.
“And I just think like the overall message from the time President Trump first ran for office was we’re going to put the American people first and I think that he’s done that in so many ways like the border, and other things and I think it should apply to these visa programmes as well,” he added.
A large share of H1B visas—intended to attract highly skilled talent from around the world—continues to go to Indian professionals. Each year, the programme issues 65,000 visas under the congressional cap, along with an extra 20,000 reserved for individuals who have completed advanced degrees in the US. Indian nationals consistently secure the majority of these slots.
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