Trump's H-1B Visa-Worker Program Helps Raise Wages

The Department of Homeland and Security said that Pres. Trump's reform of the H-1B visa-worker program has helped increase wages for American graduates.

Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, said that Pres. Trump's reform of H-1B visa-worker program has aided in increasing the salary of workers, provided ease in corporate hiring, and raised the quality of imported workers.

H-1B visa for foreign workers

The H-1B visa in the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers with special skills. However, Pres. Trump and his administration ordered to limit the visa this year to prioritize the Americans amid the pandemic.

Cuccinelli told the reporters on Friday, "This regulation is a no-brainer: It's really a good idea for [U.S.] workers, businesses, and the American economy as a whole. This is truly a win-win-win."

However, there are some groups who criticized the program.

Fortune 500 companies strongly opposed the H-1B working-visa reform. The group filed a lawsuit against the program and many of the largest members of the Fortune 500 joined in filing the case.

The group firmly believed that the new regulation will dramatically reduce U.S. businesses' ability to hire foreign-born employees.

According to Breitbart, the group pointed out the Department of Homeland and Security and the Department of Labor. They also stated in the lawsuit that workers in the country who have knowledge in STEM are not enough to supply the demand of the fast-growing sector that needs people with special skills.

The reform H-1B working-visa would mean allocating around 85,000 visas to the companies that offer the highest wage.

Cuccinelli added that the lottery "has worked for the great detriment of American workers." This would be a big shift from the current practice.

Joe Edlow, the deputy director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, said that if the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is finalized, millions of individuals in the country will greatly benefit from it.

He explained that this will increase employment opportunities amid the increasing numbers of people who filed unemployment due to the pandemic.

Edlow explained that the proposed reform aligns with Trump's directives which are to protect the interest of the U.S. workers including the Trump's proclamation directing the DHS to ensure that Americans and residents in the country get first the job.

On the other hand, big tech companies such as Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Twitter joined in filing a lawsuit that opposed the reform on H-1B Visa.

They are supported by the Semiconductor Industry Association, Mike Bloomberg's Partnership for a New American Economy Action Fund, and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli immediately posted on his Twitter account "Diversity!? How about pursuing those diversity goals with Americans! There are plenty of minority Americans who would undoubtedly appreciate it. Not many Americans realize how un-diverse Twitter and the other big tech companies really are."