Democrats flay Donald Trump for announcing new curbs on H-1B visas sans public scrutiny
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H-1B visas: The Democratic Party has criticized President Donald Trump for declaring “sweeping changes” to the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program in decades without public scrutiny. Saying it is an try to score last-minute political points in front of the November 3 presidential election.
In a move that will affect a large number of Indian IT professionals. On Tuesday the DHS announced the interim final rule, which, the Trump government said, is pointed toward protecting American workers. Reestablishing integrity, and to better guarantee that H-1B petitions are approved only for qualified beneficiaries and petitioners.
The powerful Democrat from New York said while the program can certainly profit by changes. The US laws require that the public be given adequate notification and a significant chance to remark before such reforms are implemented.
“This basically can’t be accomplished to the degree required through an interim final rule and the administration knows this. This is an try to score the last-minute political points,” Nadler said.
H-1B visas
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that permits US organizations to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical skills.
The technology organizations rely upon it to recruit a huge number of employees every year from nations like India and China.
Such a decision by the Trump government will adversely affect thousands of Indian IT professionals. Effectively an enormous number of Indians on the H-1B visas have lost their jobs and are going back home during the COVID pandemic that has seriously hit the US economy.
Immigration and citizenship subcommittee seat Zoe Lofgren said that over the years, she had presented a few bills. That would change the H-1B program to prohibit substandard wages and ensure that unscrupulous employers don’t manipulate the system to the detriment of US workers.
Responding to the criticism, the ruling Republican Party leaders said that the move will address abuses in the high-talented guest worker program used to “displace” American workers with low-paid foreign labor.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley commended the Trump administration’s move to “crackdown on widespread abuses” within the H-1B visas program.
DOL Regulation
On Wednesday the DHS said that while the program proposed to permit employers to fill gaps in their workforce and stay competitive in the global economy. Also, it has expanded far beyond that, often to the detriment of US workers.
The information shows that more than half-a-million H-1B non-immigrants in the United States have been utilized to displace US laborers. This has led to reduced wages in various industries and stagnation of wages in specific occupations, it said.
[DOL Rule Makes Significant Increases to H-1B and PERM Wage Minimums]
In a different statement, the American immigration lawyers association (AILA) opposed the move.
AILA president Jennifer Minear said foreign workers assume a crucial part in the American economy. However, these regulations will create nearly insurmountable barriers to their hiring.
“Not exclusively do these rules improperly scapegoat immigrants for the ills of our present economic downturn. However, they are additionally self-defeating. These rules will undoubtedly hamstring a process proven to bring some of the world’s best and brightest into American organizations. American workers and organizations only stand to suffer because of these changes until these rules are challenged and overturned in court,” he said.
“In opposition to the narrative promoted by the DHS and DOL and echoed by restrictionist groups. These rules will effectively affect American organizations and the economy at large,” said Benjamin Johnson, AILA’s chief.
“These guidelines will lay the groundwork for the valuing out of foreign labor. Which is basically to the solvency of countless American businesses. Under the appearance of economic recovery, the administration is ending the pipeline globally. Talent required for innovation and economic success,” Johnson added.
